Trouble
by emmapetran0990
Summary: PART OF MY CROSSOVER COLLECTION. People come to Haven, Maine for a normal life. But Special Agent Emma Petrova is about to discover that normal just left town. It takes a village to hide a secret. DxOC AU ON HIATUS!
1. Stand In The Rain

Early in the morning at an apartment in Boston, Massachusetts, Emma woke up to her boss knocking on her door.

"Agent Petrova?" She walked sleepily down the stairs and opened the door.

"Kind of early, isn't it?"

"Couldn't wait," said Agent Howard, walking into the small apartment. "Impressive how little you've done with…so little."

"That's what I do with all the vacation time I don't get," said Emma as Howard noticed a novel sitting on a table.

"Never took you for teenage vampires," said Howard, picking up the book.

"Oh, well, you should see what I read on the plane."

"FBI is non-fiction work. I need you to keep it that way."

"Is this about Miami?" Emma asked as she placed her hair in a ponytail.

"Oh yeah. I'm talking about Miami." Emma sighed. "We've been through this."

"You know, being open to possibilities is how we close cases…like that one."

"It sends you down blind alleys too."

"Well, where I grew up a blind alley was even better than reality. So where are you sending me this time?" Emma asked as she turned to a closet.

"Haven, Maine."

"You're kidding me," Emma said, turning around.

"Problem?"

"No. My ex-husband just lives there. It's where he grew up. Not that he told me much about the place. It's why we broke up. All the secrets he kept from me."

"Well, get over it. You're going there. It's the hometown of one Jonas Lester. He escaped federal lock-up nineteen hours ago. Killed a guard doing it. Find Lester. Bring him back. Nothing else. That's your reality. You're a good agent, Emma, and someday maybe you'll be a great agent. Just focus on the job."

"Put the book on the table when you're done," Emma smirked. Howard then left the house, putting Emma's vampire novel in his coat pocket.

Later that morning, Emma had just left the airport and was driving to Haven. She considered if she'd see her ex-husband when she got to town. She quickly banished the thought. Of course she would. He was a detective at their police department last time she checked. They had met five years ago at a police enforcement seminar for Boston P.D. and had seen each other for six months before marrying. However, that marriage had only lasted two years before falling apart. After that, the FBI had recruited Emma and her ex had moved back home to Haven to work for their department. Suddenly, a large crack appeared in the road. Emma screamed and veered into a guardrail. Her car stopped as it hit some rocks on the cliff.

"Oh, this isn't good," Emma muttered as she realized half of her car was over the cliff. "There's no way I'm dying like this." Suddenly, someone knocked on Emma's passenger side window.

"Hello, Em," greeted a dark-haired, blue-eyed man. Emma's ex-husband, Damon Salvatore.

"Hello, Damon."

"Need some help?"

"I'm good."

"Okay." He then walked away.

"You ass!" However, Damon was over by Emma's side of the car. She unlocked the door and he pulled her out just before the car fell over the cliff.

"Shame about the car."

"It's a rental. Nice little town you've got here. Too bad we never visited it when we were together," said Emma with a pinch of disdain. One of things Emma and Damon had often argued about were why he never wanted to visit his home town. "All your roads this bad?"

"Sandstone. It likes to shift. Why are you here?"

"Nice to see you, Emma. How've you been? I've been great, Damon. Thanks for asking."

"Sorry, it's not that I'm not happy to see you, it's just…surprising. You need a ride?"

"I guess it's friendlier than if I commandeered your vehicle."

"Probably less paperwork too." They both smiled and Damon opened the door to his truck so Emma could get in. As Emma pulled the door, the metal hit Damon's fingers. He didn't even flinch.

"I am so sorry!" Emma yelled, opening the door.

"It's okay. I didn't even feel it." He closed the door and got into the driver's side of the truck.

"Huh. I don't suppose you've seen a guy named Jonas Lester recently, have you?"

"I just left him." A few minutes later, Emma was examining a crime scene by a cliff. It appeared Jonas Lester had fallen to his death.

"Well, if ain't the girl who broke my boy's heart," said an older man, approaching the crime scene.

"Chief Salvatore. You look well," said Emma to the police chief. "And maybe if he hadn't been so secretive for so many years I wouldn't have left him."

"I'm right here," Damon muttered.

"We all have our skeletons, Agent Petrova. Keep looking all you want. This man's pretty dead. Tends not to change much. Are we going to have a situation where you're claiming to help, but you're just here to step on my toes?"

"Not in these shoes, sir. I actually came here looking for him," said Emma, pointing to the dead Lester.

"We got the alert when Jonas here escaped."

"The Bureau thought he might return to his hometown. Guess he did. Ah-ha. Somebody missed something," said Emma as she extracted a piece of paper from Lester's pocket. "There's writing on it. Can't read whatever this is, but it's worth checking out."

"I'll run it to the lab in Bangor," said Damon, placing the paper in an evidence bag.

"Enlighten me," said Giuseppe. "What does the FBI special agent have in the way of insight?"

"Well, his injuries don't suggest a struggle. I don't think he was dragged here. He died last night, but your guys are going to have to give us the exact time. At first glance, it looks like he fell from that cliff, but the body's way too far from the edge…unless there's a cannon up there or something." Damon smiled slightly. "Anyway, I'm not sold on it being an accident."

"You're overthinking this. Best thing Jonas Lester ever did for this town was die. So as far as I'm concerned, we're done."

"He killed a federal employee so my investigation isn't done until I know why he came back here and what happened to him."

"Damon, get yourself a real crime to investigate."

"Chief, how about I show Emma around while we tie up loose ends?"

"Go ahead. Waste his time too. He's got nothing else to do with it."

"He still doesn't like you too much, does he?" Emma asked Damon.

"Nope," Damon answered as Emma called her boss.

"Howard."

"It's Petrova. Lester's dead."

"How'd it happen?"

"They're calling it an accident, but something doesn't seem right."

"Sounds right up your alley, Agent Petrova."

"Chief Salvatore doesn't think so."

"I trust your judgment." A few minutes later, Damon and Emma had walked up to the top of the cliff.

"I can't believe you still call your Dad the Chief. What's his deal this time? He testing me?"

"Not you. Me."

"No offense. But half the reason I want to solve this case is just to piss him off."

"And it would," Damon smirked.

"Guess that's one advantage of being raised by the state. Not much parental conflict. Tuwiuwok," said Emma, seeing a sign. "That Native American?"

"Yeah. Means Haven."

"These must be Lester's boot prints. Looks like they're chasing a second set right here. And Lester's end abruptly right here. Uprooted trees. That's strange. You get tornados up here this time of year?"

"Maybe one a year."

"Really? Because something did a number on these trees."

"No wind last night. I checked."

"You did?"

"Couldn't find a cannon either." Emma laughed. A few minutes later, she found a gun in the brush.

"Now we're talking."

"Nice gun. Lester wasn't shot. Though, I did find this," said Damon, showing her a wide-brimmed hat.

"A hat?"

"I know a guy who wears a hat like this."

"So do I, but that doesn't make it evidence."

"Lester stole all my guy's money."

"Well, okay. So that makes it evidence. Let's go talk to your guy." A few minutes later, Emma and Damon drove into the quaint town of Haven.

"Welcome to Haven. You like pancakes, right? We have great pancakes."

"Isn't Maine famous for lobster?"

"I don't like lobster. I really like pancakes."

"I like the new truck."

"It's not new. I've had since I was nineteen. I just left it here when I met you in Boston."

"How do you keep a car that long?"

"I don't drive off cliffs," Damon smirked. Emma rolled her eyes just as they stopped outside a small shop.

"So who's this hat belong to?"

"Conrad Brauer. Gulf War vet. Local handy man. Went into the service with Lester. Conrad came out an unemployed hero. Lester came out a loser with computer skills. Did time for stealing V.A. benefits from guys he was in with."

"Including Conrad," Emma surmised as they walked to the outside of a show where a man was working.

"Hey, Conrad."

"Damon," the man greeted.

"Marion again?"

"It's what I do."

"Found your hat up on Tuwiuwok Bluff."

"Thanks," said Conrad as Emma handed the hat to him. "Appreciate it."

"Were you up there yesterday?" Emma asked, approaching the man.

"Maintain the perimeter. Please."

"What?"

"Conrad has personal space issues," Damon explained.

"Right." Emma stepped back. "Pardon me, Mr. Brauer." Emma flashed her badge. "Any particular time you're going to answer my question?"

"I was up there this morning. I like to watch the boats head out. Forgot the hat, I guess."

"And you never saw Jonas Lester?"

"Not moving."

"But you did know him."

"In the service."

"Right. And then when you got out, he stole all your money."

"Not just mine. I know where you're going."

"Conrad, yesterday late afternoon, where were you?" Damon asked as Emma noticed a woman in the shop window.

"Digging clams," Brauer answered. "Tidewater Bay. Till sunset."

"Alright, you speak mono-syllable," said Emma, turning to Damon. "You want to try and break through his perimeter while I go in and talk to the shop owner?"

"Sure."

"Where are you going?" Brauer asked.

"Alright, Mr. Brauer. If you have something you want to tell me, you go right on ahead." Suddenly, an unusually heavy fog came over the town. "That's weird. Conrad? Conrad!" Conrad had disappeared in the fog.

"He's gone." They heard honking and several crashes and Emma saw a semi heading for Damon.

"Damon! Watch out!" She ran and pushed him out of the way of the truck. When the fog had lifted, the EMTs arrived and Eleanor checked out Damon.

"Congratulations, Damon. You get to come back with me for an MRI. Another one."

"Lucky number nine."

"Yeah. Don't worry. Tenth one's free." Eleanor turned to Emma. "He's a regular. I'll be back in a jiff."

"You seriously can't feel pain?" Emma asked.

"It's called idiopathic neuropathy. I got it a few months after we broke up."

"So you really didn't feel it when that car door hit your hand?"

"No."

"Can you feel fire?"

"No."

"Ice?"

"Oddly, yes. I can feel ice."

"You can feel ice?"

"No, but I can feel a headache coming on though."

"Sorry. It's just, uh…"

"Surprising?"

"Surprising. That was strange. I've never seen fog like that before."

"Maine gets lots of kinds of fog."

"Alright, get in the back," said Eleanor.

"I can drive myself."

"I'm not arguing with you, Damon. The back." Damon groaned.

"Go," said Emma. "I'll call the Bureau and check out Conrad's alibi." Emma dialed Howard's number as Damon walked away.

"Howard."

"It's Petrova. I'm still here. Haven't found anything, nothing relevant anyway, but I'll keep in touch."

"Okay." Emma ended the call as two men approached her.

"You must be Emma Petrova. I hear you're investigating Jonas' death."

"And you are?"

"Dave Teagues. My brother, Vince. Publishers, editors, and everything else for the Haven Herald."

"We thought Lester would be our lead, but now it'll be the fog."

"Yeah. That was strange."

"Well, welcome to Haven," said Dave.

"I feel like I've seen you before," said Vince.

"That didn't sound creepy at all," Dave muttered.

"Oh it does, doesn't it?"

"Only because you said it, Vince. How about you drop by later and you can answer a few questions about the case?"

"How about I just call you?" Emma asked.

"Well, if you change your mind, drop by."

"Emma!" Damon ran up to his ex-wife. "MRIs are overrated. Let's go talk to Marion."

"Damon, is everyone alright out there?" Marion asked as Emma and Damon entered the antique shop.

"They will be. This is Emma Petrova with the FBI. Emma, Marion Caldwell."

"This is my friend, Ted Ford."

"Hello. Is this Santa Barbara?" Emma asked, seeing some flyers on the shop counter.

"Yes. Have you been there?" Marion asked.

"Twice. Once for a pedophile and twice for a serial killer."

"Marion and I are thinking of moving there and buying a shop."

"Oh! Oh, it's beautiful, gorgeous and a lot safer now."

"Well, we're just flirting with the idea," said Marion.

"Marion lost her mother not long ago and I think a change would do her some good."

"Ted's had antique shops all over, but I've never left Haven so…big step."

"Conrad Brauer. He works for you right?"

"Yes. He does. He's been very helpful since my mother passed."

"And how well do you know him?"

"We grew up together."

"What's this about?" Ted asked.

"Do either of you know Jonas Lester?" Damon asked.

"Heard he died," Ted answered as Damon's phone rang.

"Excuse me," said Damon, walking away to answer his phone.

"Do you know where Conrad was last night?" Emma asked.

"Yes, I dropped him off at the Edgewater Beach. To go clamming. He made me stay for the first bucket. He's so thoughtful that way," Marion answered.

"I'm sure he is."

"Whatever you may be thinking, Agent Petrova, Conrad's a solid guy," said Ted.

"He just couldn't be involved. Conrad's the gentlest man I've ever met."

"Excuse me," said Damon, interrupting. "We need to go." A few minutes later, Emma and Damon arrived at a port.

"This better be good, because Marion might have more to tell me about Conrad."

"Gun trace came in. Belongs to a guy I know. Dominic Vargas."

"You like him for this?"

"I don't like him period," said Damon as he walked onto the fishing boat. "Let's see what we're smuggling this week. Hello? Dom! Dom!" However, Dominic was nowhere to be found. "He's not here. Everything about this guy is a pain in my ass."

"Why? Because he wasn't home?" Emma asked as they walked back to the car.

"Because he's unreliable, untrustworthy, and a total waste of…"

"Okay, I got it. Where are you going?"

"To look for Dominic under the usual rocks."

Later that night, Emma was walking around the docks.

"He hasn't shown up here either," said Emma on the phone. "Tell Howard I'll just touch base with him later." Suddenly, it began to hail. "Perfect. Thank you." Emma ran toward her car, but an electrical box exploded and knocked Emma into the water.

When she woke the next morning, she found herself in a bedroom on a boat. She looked under the covers and realized she was naked.

"Damnit." She looked to the bedside table and saw her gun, badge, and a man's shirt. She walked out onto the deck, her gun drawn and saw a man reading the newspaper. "You took my clothes."

"Good morning," the man said cheerfully.

"You took my clothes."

"I laundered your clothes. And I saved your life. That's an odd combination if you think about it."

"You must be Dominic."

"Milk and one sugar," said Dominic, handing Emma a cup of coffee.

"No. And how would you know how I take my coffee?"

"I wouldn't. But it would have been cool if I did." Emma took the cup and walked to the clothesline.

"You know Jonas Lester?"

"Hmm. I know he's dead. That's it. Just dead."

"You might want to rethink your answer."

"Really?"

"Yeah, your gun was found where he died," said Emma as she dressed.

"That doesn't sound like me."

"Well, everybody makes mistakes."

"Well, I didn't make that one. My gun was stolen."

"Okay. So of all the guns in the world, he stole yours. Yup. That's convenient and you didn't report it, which is also convenient. And illegal."

"Actually, I did report it. Damon didn't mention that part did he?" Emma looked at him. "I thought as much. So are we good?"

"If you're telling me the truth. Damon really doesn't like you."

"Let me guess what he said. Unreliable, dishonest, and a general pain in the butt."

"Ass. He said ass."

"Wow. And strangely I was going to say that. I was."

"Was he right?"

"Eh."

"Is the weather ever normal here?"

"It's normal for me."

"Cause this damage is odd. I need to get a bird's eye view picture of this. Oh no. My cell phone. Oh crap."

"Oh yeah. It's toast. But I got you another one." He pulled out a pink phone.

"A princess phone? Seriously?"

"You really need to work on your thank-yous." Later that morning, Emma was in Damon's office at the police station.

"I don't care if he reported it. It's his gun and he needs to explain it to me," said Damon.

"Well, you could have told me that before we went and talked to him. He's not all bad. He saved my life and then he served me coffee."

"I've known him since he was five. He's all bad. What's this?" Damon asked as Emma handed him a satellite photo.

"Instant hailstorm. The fog starts in town and then heads out to sea. Something strange going on here."

"So what? It's weather. It's weird. Bangor forensics restored the paper you found on Lester's body. Turns out it's from the tide calendar on Dominic's boat. It's boring, but real evidence."

"25789. What do those mean?"

"That's what I plan on asking him. You coming?"

"No. You go. I've got enough to take care of between Conrad and the weather."

"Suit yourself," said Damon, leaving.

"So have you managed to turn your accident into a murder yet?" Giuseppe asked, entering the room.

"Good to see you too, Chief."

"Or are you still wasting Damon's time?"

"Actually, I have a few leads. And your son just linked the tide calendar that was found on Lester's body to…tide calendar. Hey, can you go clamming at high tide?"

"Depends on how long you can hold your breath." Emma left the station and saw Conrad at Marion's shop again.

"You lied to me, Conrad. I know you weren't clamming. Makes me think you were up on that cliff with Lester."

"You don't understand."

"No, I understand you lied to me. You had Marion lie to me. And you have plenty of reasons to kill the man who ruined you," said Emma, approaching Conrad.

"Respect the perimeter. Please. Stay away."

"Agent Petrova, leave him alone," said Marion.

"Just tell me!" As she touched Conrad, she was launched into her car by some invisible force and it began to snow.

"Stay away from me!" Marion yelled as she ran into her store. Emma pulled her gun on Conrad.

"It was an accident," said Conrad. "I didn't mean to do it."

"Do what exactly?"

"Kill Jonas Lester." When Emma took Conrad to the station, she saw Dominic in handcuffs.

"What's he doing here?" Emma asked. "Never mind. I can guess."

"What happened to you?" Damon asked.

"You won't believe me if I tell you. Just let Dominic go. Conrad's our guy."

"Don't think so."

"Did your guy confess?"

"Uh no. He did not," said Dominic.

"Conrad?" Damon prompted. "You saying you did this?"

"Yeah, Damon. That's what I'm saying."

"Can I go now?" Dominic asked, standing up.

"Sit down! Conrad, come with me."

"I know you didn't kill Lester," said Emma to Dominic once Damon and Conrad left.

"Fantastic. I'll buy the first round."

"I also know that Damon's right and that you saw Lester."

"Here's the thing. I have a rule. It's more of a guideline, but…I don't talk to cops. Even cops that I like."

"I could have a customs agent assigned to you. And only you. What do these numbers mean?"

"Nice photo. I think an apology from Damon might help me remember." Emma looked at Damon across the room.

"Fine," Damon groaned. "I apologize."

"For?"

"Don't push it," Emma warned.

"Look, Lester wanted me to run him up to Canada, but smuggling felons is not on my to do list."

"Alright, the 2578. Is that a partial phone number, social security?"

"If Lester was looking for a boat, maybe it's the registration number," Damon suggested. "Want to make this easy for me?"

"No," Dominic answered. "I mean, not particularly."

"Fine. Harbor master will tell us the rest."

"You mind taking care of that yourself?" Emma asked.

"You really buying this story of Conrad's?"

"Damon, what happened to Lester, it happened to me. He blew me down the street."

"Blew you down the street?"

"Listen, I can't even begin to explain it alright, but it happened and it happened to me. I know it sounds crazy but, I can't believe I'm saying it."

"Yeah, well I can't believe it either."

"So what am I supposed to do? Just pretend it didn't happen? What kind of cop does that?"

"You know how that will sound on a witness stand."

"Listen, I know I don't have it all together and I'm just trying to figure it out so I'll keep working Conrad's story and you check out the docks."

"Excuse me," Dominic interrupted. "You guys are going to let me go first, right?"

"No," they both answered simultaneously. Later that day, Emma was working in Damon's office when Dave and Vince walked in.

"We have a present for you," said Vince.

"Vince, relax. It isn't a puppy." Dave handed Emma file.

"This could be why I thought I recognized you."

"We found that in our newspaper archives from twenty-seven years ago." Emma pulled out a copy of a photograph of the front page of the newspaper. A woman resembling Emma was in the picture.

"Who is she?" Emma asked.

"I was hoping you could tell me. Do you have family around here?" Vince asked.

"Uh, I don't have family anywhere."

"You still working on that fog?"

"More than just the fog. Did Conrad Brauer ever make the paper?"

"It's easy enough to check our archives. May I use your computer?"

"Go ahead."

"Conrad Brauer. Any particular context?"

"Weather."

"I like how this girl thinks," Vince said. "Nothing matching Conrad. Just the usual welcome home warrior piece."

"A beautifully written piece," Dave added.

"Obviously. He wrote it."

"Ah, those weather patterns of yours turned up though."

"There's that interview Harold did with the Hastings family in 1956. Right after they moved here from Georgia."

"1956?" Emma asked.

"They were the only survivors of a freakish series of storms that destroyed their hometown. Daughter died. Rotten bitch."

"Dave."

"Well, she was. It was a blessing when she kicked off recently though."

"Granddaughter's lovely though."

"Well, it must have been the Caldwell part of the family."

"Caldwell? You mean, Marion Caldwell?" Emma asked.

"Yeah!" A few minutes later, Damon called Emma.

"I traced the number. Lester ended up with another boat."

"What did you find?"

"Marion Caldwell's financials. Lester came back to Haven for her money. Specifically the two million dollars her mother left her."

"That fits. We were wrong. Marion wasn't protecting Conrad. Conrad was protecting her all along. I think she was on that cliff with Lester."

"That makes perfect sense. Lester had a partner. He got all this information from…"

"From Ted." Emma then called Marion.

"Hello?" Marion answered.

"Marion. Emma Petrova."

"Oh. Agent Petrova, I'm sorry, but I can't talk right now."

"Marion, listen to me. I know you were up on that cliff with Lester."

"How did you know?"

"It doesn't matter. Lester was after your inheritance. "

"I don't understand."

"Marion, he was working with Ted."

"What? No. I don't believe that."

"What were you doing up there that night?"

"I was supposed to meet Ted to go star-gazing, but he never showed up."

"Yeah, Ted got you out there and Lester was going to take care of the rest."

"No. No."

"Have you given anyone access to your money lately?"

"Oh my God. The deposit." Marion checked her bank account and it was empty. "That bastard. I have to go. Now!" Marion walked out of her store, the wind blowing hard. Meanwhile at the police station, Emma was heading toward her car on her phone with Damon.

"Damon, Marion is going after Ted and she doesn't know what she's capable of. She could hurt him and a lot of other innocent people. "

"We've got to find her. She could be anywhere."

"I know exactly where she's going." At Ted's house, Ted was packing up his car when Marion arrived.

"Ted."

"Marion."

"Where are you going?"

"Just on a small business trip."

"Really? With three bags. And all my money!"

"It's not what it looks like."

"It was all lies wasn't it! You never loved me!"

"Marion, please." Lightning then struck, causing several trees to come down. "Marion, I've done nothing to harm you."

"Liar!" Ted pulled out his gun.

"Marion, I'm leaving now." However, the gun flew out of Ted's hand due to the strong winds. Emma's car pulled up.

"Marion!" Emma yelled.

"This doesn't concern you."

"Look around you, Marion. All of this is you," said Emma as Damon's truck pulled up. Using the distraction, Ted ran for his gun and fired at Damon. It hit Damon in the shoulder, but he didn't feel it. Damon tackled him before he could get off another shot and handcuffed him.

"Marion, listen to me. You've hurt people. You're going to keep hurting people. The wind that killed Lester, the fog, the hail. All of this. You're doing this. You need to make it stop. Let it go. Just let it go. It's not worth this. Trust me." Marion broke down and cried. Emma hugged her. "I know. It's okay."

Later, Emma drove Conrad out to the beach. Marion was staring at the ocean.

"I'll repair the car for you," said Conrad, looking at the damage to Emma's new rental.

"I think Hertz is going to put a hit out on me. Hey, when you were at Tuwiuwok, I know why you were up there last night."

"I didn't trust Ted as far as I could throw him."

"Or maybe you just loved her. It's time to step up, Conrad."

"How's that?"

"I could put her in jail, but what would that solve? If Marion lets her emotions get out of control again, a lot of people could get hurt. Only three of know what she can do and only one of us has a real chance of making her happy. She needs somebody to keep her safe, but most importantly, calm." Conrad walked down to the beach and Emma smiled when she saw Conrad take Marion's hand.

Later Emma walked into the police station carrying a vase of lilies. Damon was sleeping on the couch in his office. She placed the flowers on the table and picked up the photograph Dave and Vince had given her earlier.

"Lilies and lilac," Damon muttered.

"How's your shoulder?"

"It's alright. So, you tie up the loose ends?"

"He and Lester worked it from the start. Lester got picked up on a routine parole violation and broke out so Ted wouldn't walk away with his share."

"How's Marion doing with all this?"

"She's still grappling with the idea that she affects the weather."

"You still believe that?"

"And you still don't? When you've ruled everything else out, you have to look at what's left."

"Guess I'm not ready to rule everything else out yet." Emma shook her head. "I know that picture."

"You do?"

"Colorado Kid murder. Chief was a beat cop on the case. Never solved it, which I try to remind him whenever I can. Can I see it?" Emma handed him the picture. He looked at the woman in the photo and then at Emma. "She looks like you."

"Yeah, I know."

"You think she's your mother? Aunt?"

"I really…I don't know. You know, every other kid I knew dreamed that their parents would come claim them and then they'd turn out to be rock stars, but I…I just dreamed…Never mind."

"Too late to stop now."

"I dreamed that my mother would roll up in a big bus and she'd rescue every kid in every orphanage in the world and bring them home."

"Might be a good idea to let that one go."

"Yeah, well I wish I could." Later, Emma walked out to the place where the Colorado Kid murder took place, by an abandoned pier near the water. She pulled out her phone and called her boss.

"Howard."

"Hey, boss. Uh, you know that vacation time I never take? I need a few weeks. There's something I need to look into."

"No problem. You deserve it," said Howard, looking at Emma from a hilltop. Howard ended the call and then dialed another number. "She's staying. Maybe she can help you with your troubles."


	2. A Bad Dream

It was early morning when Emma walked into Chief Salvatore's office and placed a picture of the Colorado Kid newspaper article on his desk.

"Well good morning to you too, Agent Petrova."

"I need to know more about her."

"I'm fine. Thank you very much. Nice of you to ask. I didn't know you were still in town."

"That's it? That's all I get? The folksy local cop brush-off?"

"I was shooting for civil."

"Okay, you know what. My bad. Let me take this again. You were the local beat cop in that photo right? You would have taken a witness statement from that woman."

"It was a long time ago."

"Wouldn't there be an evidence file?"

"It was a long time ago."

"This is a funny town you got here."

"I'd say unique. Now is there a point coming my way?"

"I've been a lot of help to you recently. Discreet help. I was just hoping for a little quid pro quo."

"Ooh. That sounds illicit."

"I was shooting for civil." Giuseppe laughed.

"Alright, okay. I knew there was a reason I liked you. It's going to take a couple of days. How long you going to be in town?"

"Well, that depends on you."

"Okay, well my advice to you is to just relax, enjoy yourself. You know what you ought to do? You should go and visit the Haven Moose Farm. Not to be missed. Enjoy the vacation."

"I don't do vacations."

"Then look at it like a learning opportunity," said Giuseppe as Damon entered. He was a bit surprised to see Emma in his father's office.

"Hey," Emma said.

"You're still here."

"Apparently, I'm vacationing. Actually, I'm looking into the woman in the picture…unsuccessfully."

"What can we do for you, Damon?" Giuseppe asked.

"Something strange down at the Rust Bucket. I'm heading out."

"Hey, can I tag along?" Emma asked. "I'm not really big on the moose museum."

"It's actually a farm," Damon corrected.

"Farm, gallery, museum…can I come?"

"Well…"

"I think it's a good idea," Giuseppe interrupted. "Damon here could use all the help he can get."

"After you," Damon said. Emma walked out the doorway and Damon shot his father a look before leaving.

"Finally some peace," Giuseppe sighed. A few minutes later, Emma and Damon arrived at the Rust Bucket and saw that a huge metal ball had crashed inside the bar.

"Whoa. So first question is why is there a giant metal ball?" Emma asked.

"Oh, everyone knows that ball."

"Second question: there's a ball everyone knows about?"

"It's part of a sculpture that's usually up on Greene Street. Been there forever. Every year high school seniors try to steal it. Fail. Pick something else."

"And they fail because…"

"It's a big bronze ball."

"Hey, did you see anything?" Emma asked the bar owner.

"Yeah, a big metal ball crushed my place."

"Was there anybody pushing it or a truck that unloaded it?"

"Just a ball rolling down the hill."

"Is there a person in particular you may have upset recently?"

"Ed Driscoll was in my face last night."

"Driscoll was here?" Damon asked.

"Yeah. He's not a big fan of this place since he gave up drinking."

"You know him?" Emma asked Damon.

"Yeah, I know him. I also know his place is up on Greene Street."

"Where the ball was until last night." A few minutes later, Damon and Emma headed toward Greene Street. "You don't mind do you?"

"Mind what?"

"That I invited myself along. "

"It's a huge metal ball. Who could resist that?"

"Exactly." When they got of the car, they talked to a man by a sculpture.

"There's nothing complicated about that ball. Outer shell of bronze filled with about three tons of sand."

"How long would you say it's been anchored here?" Emma asked.

"Church bought it in '68. Installed in '69. Too heavy to move after."

"No rust on these chains," Damon noticed.

"I only put them on last year. The new insurance company made us do it. I told them the ball wasn't going anywhere."

"Bet you wished you hadn't said that."

"Alright, let's go talk to Driscoll." They walked inside the church and watched from the back as Driscoll baptized a baby. "Well, he doesn't look like the kind of guy who would fight with bartenders and destroy the place."

"Just wait till he opens his mouth."

"Why? Do you know him well?"

"More than I'd like."

"This child belongs to God now. He will walk the path of the Lord with us. It is up to each and every one of us to keep him on that path. The best chance he has of staying on God's path is to live amongst the godly and to steer clear of the Troubled and the ungodly. Can I get an amen?"

"Amen!" Damon then walked out. It was obvious Driscoll disgusted him.

"Haven is a fine place to raise a family, but you and I know it is chock full of the ungodly." Emma grew uncomfortable as well and left the church, meeting Damon outside.

"What the hell was that?" Emma asked.

"I have some history with the Rev."

"You think you could have told me that before?"

"Probably should have."

"Yeah, probably should have. What do you know about him?"

"He's a pompous, self-righteous ass. Never been violent as far as I know. Just angry. Been that way since his wife died."

"Alright, so can you keep that to yourself when we talk to the Rev?" Damon nodded and walked back inside with Emma after the service ended.

"You left in a hurry," said Driscoll to Damon before turning to Emma. "And you must be Special Agent Petrova."

"You keeping tabs on me, Reverend?"

"You're here about the sculpture."

"Tell us about the Rust Bucket."

"It's a cess pool. So someone did us a favor and destroyed it."

"That someone being you?" Damon asked.

"Agent Petrova, has anyone taken the time to welcome you properly to our town?"

"Answer Damon's question."

"I don't condone violence of any kind. If I wanted to destroy that bar, I wouldn't have used a sculpture from this very church. "

"Then why were you yelling at the bartender last night?"

"Hmm. Perfect timing. Hannah! Special Agent Petrova, this is my daughter, Hannah, and her foster son, Bobby. Bobby, I've told you not to bring that bike into the church."

"I'm sorry. I forgot."

"Hannah, would you mind telling Agent Petrova why I was expressing my frustration at the bar last night?"

"I'd rather not."

"My daughter was hiding from me the fact that she was working there. And I went there to bring her back to do God's work, where her talents can be of better service."

"Dad, everyone's waiting for you at the reception."

"Duty calls."

"Hannah, do you have anything you want to tell us?" Emma asked.

"No. I'm sorry. I only started working there and we left hours before it happened."

"Bobby, you heard anything?" Damon asked.

"No, sir."

"You mind keeping an ear out for us?"

"Sure, Damon," Hannah answered.

"Agent Petrova, my daughter makes a dynamite seafood stew. Every Sunday night so if you're free, we'd love to welcome you properly to our town."

"Thanks, but I have this whole gigantic metal ball thing I have to look into…and I don't think you're telling us everything about why you were at the Rust Bucket."

"Emma, you're not from here. So I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt, but let me make something clear. Those are the last questions I'll answer about that place." Emma and Damon then left. "Wow. What a sweetheart. What was that between you and his daughter?"

"I asked Hannah to the prom without her father's permission. He found out. Said she couldn't go."

"So the prom is why the Rev would barely look at you?"

"That and because we ignored him, went to the ledge, and watched a meteor shower."

"And?" Emma pressed, knowing there was more to the story. It was Damon Salvatore, for Pete's sake.

"And…meteor showers are better naked."

"Damon Salvatore. Just another teenage boy trying to take a girl's clothes off," Emma laughed.

"No, the meteor shower was my idea. The rest was hers."

"Uh-huh. Sure. Whatever you say, Damon." Early the next morning, Emma walked out of the bathroom in her hotel room, having just taken a shower. She sat down on the bed, texting on her phone, and noticed a butterfly, sitting on her blanket.

"Polyester is so beneath you," Emma muttered as she gently grabbed the butterfly and let it fly out the window. Emma sat back down on the bed and suddenly the threads of the blanket on the bed began to cocoon her. Quickly, Emma called Damon.

"Hello? Emma? Emma?"

"Damon, help!" Emma yelled before the threads covered her face. A few minutes later, Damon arrived at the hotel and cut Emma out of the blanket. Once she was free of her bindings, she got dressed. "What did I do on my vacation? I was cocooned by a blanket, you came and cut me out. No big deal."

"I still think you should get checked out."

"You know what? I'll-I'll live. Okay? And I know you'll think this is ridiculous, but when you think about it, it's got to be the Rev that's doing it. He collects butterflies and I saw a butterfly right before I was cocooned. God, I can't believe I'm saying that."

"Me either."

"Look, you can deny strange things are going on around here, but we need to press the Rev and we need to press him hard."

"What are you going to say? You wrapped me up in a cocoon. Confess."

"Yeah, you might have a point."

"We need to talk to Hannah without the Rev around. I already called the church office. She's at the food bank. Her favorite days are when her father's somewhere else."

"They said that?"

"I might have added that part."

Later at the food bank, Emma met with Hannah while Damon talked to Bobby.

"Hannah, can I talk alone with you?" Emma asked.

"Sure."

"So you're Bobby's foster mom, right?"

"Uh, well. My Dad took him in a year ago. His family was in a car accident and Bobby was the only survivor."

"So your Dad took him in, but you're his foster mom?"

"Dad's good at the big gestures. It's the day-to-day stuff that bores him."

"Yeah, you know taking in a child, it's an amazing, beautiful thing."

"I didn't think I could do it. What the Rev wants, the Rev gets. And now I can't imagine life without Bobby."

"Your Dad has quite a temper doesn't he?"

"He doesn't like surprises. That's all. He's just protective."

"Is that why he doesn't want you to work?"

"I know that it's pathetic that I don't stand up to him. I always promise myself I will, but then I never do. If you'll excuse me, I have to finish this." Hannah then left.

Later, as Emma and Damon walked to the church, they were accosted by the Reverend.

"Agent Petrova! How dare you!" he yelled.

"Hold on, Rev," Damon warned.

"You harassed my daughter when she's doing God's work."

"You ever hit your daughter, Rev?" Emma asked.

"I have nothing to explain to you." Emma and Damon then saw a butterfly land onto the Reverend's shoulder.

"Damon." They both drew their guns.

"I see it."

"What are you doing!"

"The last time I saw a butterfly like that I ended up in a cocoon."

"Have you both lost your minds?" the Reverend asked as the butterfly flew away. Suddenly, a silver amulet the Reverend wore forcefully drew him to the hood of a car. "What's happening? My God." Emma jumped onto the hood of the car, trying to remove the metal amulet from the hood as a car down the street moved into reverse and headed for the Reverend. Before the car could hit them, Driscoll pulled the necklace off and they all jumped into the ditch. A few minutes later, they headed for Damon's truck.

"So you think I'm crazy now?" Emma asked.

"I never said you were crazy."

"This isn't the worst weird thing I've seen in Haven, Damon. And I've only been here a week. So can you just tell me what's going on?"

"Every town's got a few skeletons in the closet."

"Well, this is a big freakin' closet. Alright, can we at least agree that whatever's going on here is not normal?"

"Yeah."

"And can we also agree that whoever is behind this can't be the Rev?"

"Unfortunately."

"Which means it's someone else."

"Did I say unfortunately?" Emma shook her head, laughing. A few minutes later, Emma and Damon arrived at the police station and Emma set up a white board in Damon's office.

"You know what's not working for me?" Emma asked, writing down a list of crime scenes and victims.

"The Bucket."

"Yup. Why isn't it working for you?"

"Since the Rev's no longer a suspect, the bar's got nothing to do with the hotel or the church."

"But they do have one thing in common."

"What's that?"

"Hannah Driscoll."

"Hannah's got nothing to do with this."

"She worked at the Bucket. She was there when I grilled her father and she has issues with the Rev."

"She didn't have issues with the Rust Bucket. Why would she destroy it?"

"Okay. Let's get the bartender in here and find out."

"Fine." An hour later, the Rust Bucket bartender was sitting in an interview room.

"What was Hannah Driscoll doing for you?" Emma asked.

"Just bookkeeping. Deposits, payroll."

"She have any reason not to like you?"

"Why? What'd she say to you?"

"Just answer the question," said Damon.

"I was going to fire her."

"Why?" Emma asked.

"She was dipping in the till."

"Hannah Driscoll?" Damon asked, confused.

"I told her I was thinking of letting her go before this freak ball thing."

"Can you give us a second?" Emma asked as Damon walked away from the table. "If he was firing her, it would give her motive to destroy the place."

"I don't see Hannah stealing."

"Damon, your problem was last century. She had a strong motive to attack me."

"I can subpoena her bank records."

"I'm sorry, but I think you need to do that." A couple hours later, Damon and Emma were heading to Ed Driscoll's house.

"Just heard back from the bank. Hannah Driscoll doesn't have a bank account in Haven," said Damon.

"Damn. I had a good feeling about that one."

"But Hannah has $57,000 in a bank account in Bangor. Far enough away to keep it secret from the Rev." Emma knocked on the door and the Rev answered. He was obviously drunk.

"I've got nothing to say to you," said Driscoll. "Except get the hell off my porch."

"Now that's just unfriendly considering we saved your life," Emma quipped.

"You looking for the Lord in the bottom of the scotch bottle?" Damon asked.

"I take it where I find him."

"We're here to see Hannah."

"She's not here."

"Where is she?"

"I don't know."

"We think she was the one who attacked you," said Emma.

"Then you're a fool because I wasn't attacked."

"Well, then what would you call it? Did you know Hannah had almost $60,000 in a bank account? She was fired for stealing at the Rust Bucket. It's why she destroyed it."

"That's not possible." Damon and Emma entered the house looking for Hannah. "She's not here. She's at the junior high school. Science Club." Emma and Damon then left for the middle school. They walked into a classroom and saw Hannah.

"Hannah, is there someplace we can talk?" Damon asked.

"Is my father alright? He said he was going to take it easy after that…event."

"We need to know why you have $57,000 in the bank," said Emma.

"Hannah, were you stealing from the Rust Bucket? Is that why you destroyed it?"

"Is that what Otis told you?"

"Is it true?"

"Otis stopped paying his bank loan. The bank hired me to audit his books. Call them. They'll confirm. Otis is the one who's skimming."

"Otis is stealing?"

"I earned that money."

"How?"

"Took me seven years. Bank wasn't my only client. I didn't put my money in Haven because my father knows everybody and he would find out."

"Find out what?" Emma asked.

"That I would leave him. Just like my mother did."

"Your mother died," said Damon.

"She died three days after she ran away with the deacon of the church. Not the story my Dad tells, is it? If you'll excuse me, I have a few things I have to do. I have to help Bobby. He has a booth on butterflies." Hannah walked away.

"Butterflies?" Emma asked, looking at Damon. After not seeing Bobby in the classroom, Damon and Emma searched the halls of the school. Suddenly, a butterfly landed on Emma's shoulder. "Crap. This is going to suck." An electrical box exploded and a live wire moved into the hallway like a snake. The couple turned around and saw water floating into the hallway. They tried to open a door to another hallway, but it was locked.

"Bench." Damon moved a bench to front of the door and they climbed onto it.

"The fire alarm," Emma said, seeing the device through the door window. "Hopefully, that will get us out of here quickly." Damon smashed the window with a fire extinguisher and Emma pulled the alarm. The live wire then stopped moving as the bells rang. "What the hell just happened here?" After deeming it was safe to get down from the bench, Emma and Damon searched the school, but didn't find Bobby. They went into the locker room and saw the coach of the athletics program. They immediately asked if he'd seen the teenager.

"He's a great kid."

"There's nothing strange? You haven't had any problems?" Emma asked.

"After what Bobby went through with his parents, it's amazing there aren't. Especially since I know Bobby's always blamed himself."

"Why?"

"Survivor's guilt. He's the only one who made it out of the car."

"What happened?" Damon asked.

"Driving home from a family cabin. Car lost control. I don't think the kid's had a decent night's sleep since."

"Did you see him leave?"

"Miss Driscoll took him home after the fire alarm. Probably had to wake him up though."

"Wake him up?" Emma asked.

"I think he was catching a nap right here in the locker room. Not the first time either since the accident."

When they returned to the Reverend's house, the place was ransacked and Ed Driscoll was on the floor, unconscious.

"Looks like the Rev found the bottom of the bottle," said Damon.

"Let's go see if Bobby's in his room." They walked up the stairs and into Bobby's room.

"I don't think they came back here."

"Hey, do you see that?" Emma asked, looking at a sculpture on Bobby's desk. "It remind you of anything?"

"A certain metal ball. And these. The Rev's necklace was pulled like a magnet."

"Ah, my personal favorite. The hotel cocoon experience."

"And the water and the wire in the school hallway? These are the things Bobby sees before he falls asleep. They must be working their way into his dreams."

"Okay, when you dream, it mixes everything up and combines it with your fears. The attacks came out of that and he came after us. He's trying to stay awake. He doesn't want to dream."

"Because he's hurting people."

"We need to find him before he falls asleep again." A few minutes later, Damon and Emma woke up the Rev.

"Where would Hannah and Bobby go, Rev?" Damon asked.

"Why should I tell you?" the reverend slurred.

"Sooner you tell me, the sooner I'm out of your house."

"Miller's Crest. His parent's had a cabin up there. Just past where they were killed. Twin Pines Overlook. Now get the hell out of here."

"Works for me."

"That boy isn't one of God's people. He's one of yours, Damon. It's why I never let you near my daughter because you would have killed her just like your people killed my Penny."

"Way I heard it she was free of you for three days before she died. Probably the best three days of her life."

"Alright. Not now, Damon," Emma warned.

"The Troubles are back! Like it or not. You find that boy don't bring him back here!" Driscoll yelled as they left. A few minutes later, Emma and Damon were on the road toward Bobby's parents' cabin.

"What was that stuff back there about the Troubles?" Emma finally asked.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Alright," Emma sighed. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay."

"I know, but it must have been…"

"I'm okay," Damon insisted.

"And you wonder why we broke up," Emma muttered.

"Thank you. Twin Pines Overlook is coming up soon. About ten minutes." Emma gasped as she saw a butterfly on the steering wheel.

"Uh oh."

"You don't need to say it."

"Bobby must be dreaming. We have to wake him up." Suddenly, the gas pedal pressed down. "Whoa! Why are you speeding up?"

"I'm not. Bobby is."

"Slow down!"

"I'm not controlling the car."

"Maybe if we're in his dream he can see us."

"Okay, maybe. What are you thinking?"

"Hey, kiddo," said Emma, turning to the back seat.

"Are you talking to me?"

"No, I'm talking to Bobby, honey. Bobby, it's Mommy. I bet you're pumped to get home to your projects, huh? I'm sure it's great. Oh wait. I have to tell your Dad something. It's coming up. Twin Pines Overlook. Bobby, it can be different this time. You can change things. You can save us this time, Bobby. I know you can. I trust you." Suddenly, the car swerved and slightly hit the guardrail. Bobby had stopped them from a terrible car accident. "Whoa."

"Whoa."

"You did it, Bobby. You saved us. Thank you."

The next day, after finding Bobby and Hannah, Emma and Damon helped the two move their things into a moving van.

"He's a different kind of kid, Hannah," said Damon.

"Just like you were."

"Like I was. Have you told Bobby why the Rev won't let him stay at his house?"

"Honestly, I don't know how to tell him. He always tries to please my father. It's why he chose butterflies for a science project."

"You'll tell him when the time is right."

"Damon, I'm sorry my father came between us."

"No. It was a long time ago."

"Yeah, it was. But sometimes I can't help but imagine what my life would have been like if I'd ignored him and let you take me away from here." Hannah then looked at Emma who was with Bobby. "She's good for you, you know?"

"You know about me and her?"

"Everyone in this town practically knows, Damon. Your ex-wife right?"

"Yeah."

"You should try to patch things up."

"Maybe."

After giving Hannah some medication from the doctor to help with Bobby's night terrors, Emma went back to the police station. Giuseppe had an evidence box ready for her.

"We had a flood about fifteen years ago so things kind of got shifted around. As you can see evidence tape is still on there. It's the original." Emma opened the box, but there was nothing in it.

"What is this? A joke?"

"Definitely not."

"What about the photographer that took the picture? Where's the Colorado Kid buried? There are still leads we could track down."

"It's a very old case, Agent Petrova."

"She might be my mother."

"Well, then stay here and find her."

"What?"

"Come and work for me. You have a very rare talent. Most people want to see things the way they want to see them, whereas you see things the way they are. That is a skill that I value. Hell, it's kind of a skill we desperately need around here."

"Well, that keeps getting clearer."

"You could actually make kind of a difference here. And more importantly for you, I could maybe help you find some of the answers you're looking for. If you were to stay."

"I'll think about it." Emma walked out and after a few minutes of searching found Damon sitting on a bench by the water.

"Your father just offered me a job," said Emma, sitting down.

"What'd you say?"

"I said I'd think it over."

"Might be a good idea."

"Really? What makes you say that?"

"February 1983. I was seven. I went sledding on that hill over there. I crashed into a tree. I felt fine so I ran back up the hill ready to go again and Lisa Botkey took one look at me and threw up. I had blood all over my coat, a bone sticking out of my arm. I'd never felt a thing. Wasn't the only thing that happened that year. Don't remember a lot of it. People whispering, kids pulled out of school."

"The Troubles."

"Couple years later, I got better and I stopped hearing about them."

"And you're afraid they're coming back."

"No. They are back. I'm afraid they won't go away this time."

"Wait, that's why…that's why you pulled away from me." Damon looked away.

"I woke up one day. I touched your skin and I couldn't feel it. Scared me to death. I didn't want you to know. I didn't want you to see all of this. I thought I was protecting you. It's dangerous, Emmy."

"You don't need to protect me. I just wish you could have been honest with me."

"There are so many times when I just wanted to get back in my car and go back to Boston. To tell you what was really going on, but…I was afraid. I thought you'd think I was crazy. I know I didn't always tell you everything, but there is one thing that I never lied about. I love you. I still do. Never stopped."

"Neither did I," Emma admitted. "My life was crap until I met you. I'll always love you, Damon. Every part of you."

"Even if I can't feel you?"

"Even if you can't feel me, I'll always love you and I'll always want to be with you. Nothing could change that. Just no more lies."

"No more lies." Emma kissed Damon and then started to walk away from the bench. Damon was shocked. He had felt Emma's touch.

"Want to grab something to eat? How about pancakes?" Emma asked, not catching Damon's reaction.

"Yeah, I could go for some pancakes."


	3. Psycho

Near the marina, Damon and Emma were walking down the street, Damon's arm around Emma's waist.

"Nice work on the cat lady call this morning," said Damon.

"Who knew I had such talent with drunk women in house coats?"

"Not me."

"Oh, and I did a pretty good job with that angry fishermen dude."

"Once you got his pants on."

"Yeah, that helped," Emma laughed.

"Life of a local cop."

"I'm on loan, remember."

"You'll stay."

"Pretty confident about that."

"Well, I'm pretty irresistible. Not to mention the best way to find out if your mother was here is to be a local cop. Unless you're ready to give that investigation up."

"You know I'm not. I just thought when I was in Haven the cases would be more…"

"Troubling? I get it. We'll see more of that soon. But don't underestimate your skills with the small stuff."

"Skills?"

"A local cop probably wouldn't have put all the cats in one box."

"I only had one box and anyways, they all fit."

"Next time, maybe just look around."

"Why? Did I miss something?"

"Miss Nelson's fourth grade class watching you from the school."

"Oh, God. Do you think I scarred them?"

"I think they laughed their fourth grade asses off." Suddenly, Damon's radio went off.

"Damon, you there, hon?"

"Go ahead, Laverne."

"Got a call about a disturbance at the Freddy."

"We're on our way."

"What's a Freddy?" Emma asked. Emma soon found out when they arrived at the Murray Q. Frederikson Psychiatric Facility. "You're kidding me. Haven has a mental hospital? That's a grain of sand at the beach. Who's Murray Q. Frederikson?"

"A respected local car dealer until one day he announced he could breathe like a fish and disappeared under the sea."

"Let me guess. Was that during the Troubles?"

"No. He was just crazy. His wife founded the Freddy with his estate."

"Thank god you're here," said a nurse as a cast iron pan was thrown against the side of the building.

"What's going on?" Damon asked.

"I have no idea. I was in the kitchen. I heard screaming. I went into the common room. Dr. Lucassi's medicine was all over. Morgan's in there trying to calm everybody down." Suddenly, Morgan was thrown through the window.

"Whoa! Laverne, we need back-up and a medic at the Freddy, now!" Damon ordered through his radio.

"What's going on, hon?"

"Patients have taken over the asylum."

"Where's the doctor? Who's in charge?" Emma asked the nurse.

"Him," said the nurse, pointing to a crazed Dr. Lucassi. "That's Dr. Lucassi." As the nurses evacuated the patients from the building, Emma and Damon entered, guns drawn.

"We can't shoot the doctor," said Damon.

"No."

"And we can't go in that room. So why are we sneaking up on him?"

"Because Haven doesn't have a SWAT team. It has a dispatch lady that calls you hon. So we're following FBI protocol."

"What's that?"

"Engage the suspect verbally, attenuate, and mitigate."

"Talk to him?" Emma shrugged. "Right."

"Dr. Lucassi, this is FBI agent…" Suddenly, Lucassi threw a desk.

"Go away! I have work to do."

"Plan B," said Damon.

"You think we could taser him?"

"I don't think a taser will reach." Emma then noticed bottles in a cabinet.

"Then given that, I'm winging it." She grabbed several bottles and threw one to Damon.

"Ether? Seriously?" Emma threw a bottle at Lucassi and the smell began to get to him. "Impressive." Damon threw his bottle and the doctor fell unconscious from the smell. After Lucassi was restrained, the EMTs had arrived.

"Alright, they did a patient headcount," said Emma.

"We lose any?"

"Three. And we need to get to them immediately."

"Dr. Lucassi's a good man. A little intense, but he wouldn't hurt a fly," said the nurse.

"The three that escaped were in the room with him when the jungle juice spilled. Do you really think a drug spill could do this?" Emma asked the nurse.

"I've seen worse," Damon muttered. "I went to college." Emma rolled her eyes and left. Damon quickly followed her. "Okay, what are you thinking?"

"That guy looked different."

"Different how?"

"Different. Like a special blend of Haven crazy."

"You like it," Damon smirked.

"Like what?"

"The weirdness. You hope it's something weird. It's why you're still here."

"No, I'm still here because a woman that was still here could have been my mom and I'd like to find out."

"Uh huh. Right. Just admit it. You missed me." Damon walked closer to her, placing his hands on her hips. "Come on. Admit it."

"Maybe just a little bit," Emma smiled.

"A little bit? I'm going to have to make a better impression on you." They kissed.

"I take that back. I missed you a lot," Emma whispered. Before their contact could turn into a full-blown make out session, Laverne's voice came across the radio.

"Are you there, hon? Prowlers reported to be pilfering items off the laundry line. Including two pairs of shorts, socks, and grey sweat shirts."

"What might escaped mental patients need?" Emma asked.

"Oh." A few minutes later, Emma and Damon arrived at the back of a house and saw a man jumping on a trampoline while another man was laughing.

"Hello there. William's always been a bit of a child at heart. I could do that too if I was young and fit…and him," said Howard Sperry. A few minutes later, Damon and Emma had transported the two patients back to the hospital.

"So you're a florist," said Emma.

"I am and this part of the northeast is great for flowering vines. This plant here is wisteria. Absolutely spectacular." Howard then looked at Emma more intensely.

"What?"

"I remember. Gerber daisies, snapdragons, orchids." Suddenly, Howard looked like he was going to collapse.

"Damon, could I have some help here?" Suddenly, William looked like he was about to fall over as well. "What do you think happened to these guys?"

"The excess saliva is completely normal. It's a side effect of his meds. Although, he might be dehydrated," said Dr. Lucassi from a gurney.

"Are you okay? Because you weren't a few minutes ago," said Emma.

"I feel fine. Though I shudder to think what behavior got me here. William needs my help. Can you unstrap me?"

"Go ahead," said Emma. The EMTs unstrapped the doctor.

"Why are these two men here?" Dr. Lucassi asked.

"They just had a trampoline play date."

"These two men are Stage 3 catatonics. Mr. Sperry hasn't spoken or moved in sixteen years."

"Well, he was fine until a moment ago. You not so much."

"Doctor, there was a spill," said a nurse.

"Maybe it made them better and you worse," Damon suggested.

"And oddly stronger," Emma added.

"What was I doing?"

"You were ranting about your work."

"And contamination," the nurse added.

"Sometimes I'm obsessive about cleanliness. Perhaps, whatever happened amplified my predilections and removed inhibitions. Although I can't imagine my drugs doing that."

"At least, everyone's back the way they were," said Damon.

"Lilly is still out there," said the nurse.

"Is she a catatonic?" Emma asked.

"No. But she can be violent. Extremely so," the doctor answered. A few minutes later, Emma, Damon, and Dr. Lucassi arrived at the McBreen household.

"Lilly McBreen was a musician and now she has a grand mal obsessive disorder, akin to PTSD, only worse."

"That why she was committed?" Damon asked.

"When she feels the music is escaping her, she gets extremely frustrated and destructive," the doctor answered, as Lilly's husband, Ray, walked up the front steps with a bag of groceries.

"Ray McBreen?" Damon asked.

"Ah, Dr. Lucassi, I was wondering when you were going to show. Whatever you did for Lilly, thank you."

"She's okay?"

"She's great. Come on in. Lil?" They walked into the house and saw the living room was utterly destroyed. "Damnit."

"She must have changed back," said Emma.

"How? She was fine."

"I don't know…yet," said the doctor.

"Any idea where she could have gone?" Emma asked.

"If she's back the way she was, any place with a piano. "

"Why?"

"She wants to compose music."

"Let's find her."

"Wait, Damon. Maybe we should test his medicine. Make sure it's causing it," Emma suggested.

"If it isn't, then what?"

"It's a simple test," the doctor replied.

"Okay. You two do that. We'll find her, Mr. McBreen." A few minutes later, Damon and Ray arrived at a piano bar. "Why pianos?"

"She liked to compose on them. Said they felt right. I don't want to talk about it."

"Ray, talk to me."

"Lilly loved writing music. One day a music exec heard one of her songs. Said she should go write another and we'd get a big contract. She wanted it perfect. I did too. I talked her into driving up to her favorite composing place. We were so excited. I got distracted. Drove off the road into the river. I barely made it out alive. Took another eight minutes to get her out. They said if the water hadn't been so cold she would have been brain dead. Instead, she's…"

"Like she is."

"Because of me." Damon then noticed Dominic walking by carrying a large swordfish sculpture.

"Where'd you get that?" Damon asked.

"Came with the Happy Meal."

"Yeah right."

"Alright, you caught me. Come on, Damon. The Scupper was giving it away. I was going to use it to decorate the boat. Now do I need a permit for that, Officer, or is that going to be okay?" Damon watched as Dominic put the fish in his car and was about to say something, but didn't. "You know what's amazing, Damon? Is that you get a badge. You get to harass me."

"Cause you're a lowlife criminal."

"I'm going to check inside," said Ray, walking into the Scupper.

"New partner?" Dominic asked. "I don't know. I kind of liked the old one better. Let me ask you something. Does she know you're not a real boy? Does she know about the things you've done?"

"Hey, she's here," said Ray.

"Have a nice day, Damon," said Dominic, leaving.

After finding out that the medicine hadn't caused the change in behavior, Dr. Lucassi and Emma looked over the surveillance footage at the police station.

"It's like I felt something when I dropped it," said the doctor.

"Okay, let's rewind it to right before the spill. Wait. Is that William? He's already holding the ball before the spill." Emma called Damon. "Damon, whatever happened was before the spill. It was something invisible."

"Emma, we found Lilly."

"How is she?"

"She's trying to play the piano. Can't get it out of neutral though." As Lilly played the piano, Ray played along with her. When Emma and the doctor arrived at the Scupper, they were shocked when they saw people running out of the bar, moving cars and tearing off doors.

"It's contagious?" Emma asked.

"How is this spreading?

"Damon! Damon, are you in there? Damon, what happened?" They walked in and Emma saw Damon with his back turned in the corner. "Damon, what's going on? Damon! Did you call for back-up?" Damon turned around and Emma saw his face. He had gone crazy as well. "Oh crap." Damon then barged out of the bar, knocking Emma into a table. A few minutes later, Laverne radioed Emma.

"We've rounded up the party boys. I'm still trying to get a line on Damon."

"Alright, we've got to find out what's causing this."

"I can only think of one common denominator," said Dr. Lucassi.

"What?"

"Not what. Who."

"Lilly."

"Emma, are you there, honey?" Laverne asked. "I've got a 20 on Damon's car. He's down at the marina."

"Great." Emma arrived at the marina and saw Damon beating the crap out of Dominic. Before Damon could do anymore damage, Emma tasered him. "Sorry, honey. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Dominic.

"I was talking to my husband."

"You two are married?"

"Well, we were separated. Now we're kind of back together. It's complicated."

"What's going on?"

"I need you to keep him here."

"No."

"He's sick, Dominic."

"I knew that."

"This is different. Something just happened to him."

"Is he contagious?" Emma shot him a look. "I'm just asking."

"I don't know, but I know someone who is and if I don't get to her soon, she's going to make more like him so I've got to go. This is the part where you come through for me. Remember who kept you from going to jail."

"Fine." A few minutes later, Dominic had Damon chained up. Damon was struggling to free himself.

"Let me go."

"I don't think so. You're on a time-out. What the hell happened to you?" Damon struggled again. "You keep doing that you're going to hurt yourself. I forgot. You're special. Can't hurt you."

"At least, I'm not a parasite."

"That's a good one."

"Just using people. You always do. You planning on using my wife too? Of course you are. It's what you do." Dominic punched Damon. "You can't hurt me, remember?" At the police station, Emma was talking with Dr. Lucassi.

"Ray's boat isn't birthed in any of the local marinas. I'm kind of surprised he can own this nice of a boat."

"His grandfather abandoned him when the McBreen family washed up in Haven years ago."

"Excuse me," said Emma as her phone rang.

"Of course. I'll see if I can locate the boat."

"Hello?"

"Yeah. Sleeping beauty just woke up and I'm all done playing Prince Charming," said Dominic. A few minutes later, Emma met Damon at the boat.

"Caught it, didn't I?" Damon asked.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm not sure which is worse. Going crazy or being sane afterwards."

"What do you remember?"

"Shiny Scupper."

"Lilly was playing the piano there."

"Yeah. Why?"

"I think her music is causing this."

"I don't think so."

"Come on, Damon. This is not me just being excited over the weirdness."

"I didn't say it was. I just don't think it's Lily who's causing this."

"Why?"

"Ray sat down next to her at the piano and he started to play."

"Wait, Ray did? Of course. Ray was at the Freddy. I saw him on the tape. He must be the one who changed all these people, but he left so fast that he didn't even realize it."

"Pretty sure he knows what he's doing now."

"We've got to find the Caprice, his boat."

"I know where the boat is," said Dominic.

"Great. Where?" Emma asked.

"I'll take you to her."

"No. Just us."

"Oh. Okay. Forget it."

"Dominic, if you know and you don't tell us, we could throw you in jail."

"No. You can't. And frankly, I'm getting a little sick of the threat. Considering that a police officer just attacked me.

"Mr. Vargas, I encourage you to file a complaint and press charges," said Damon.

"Not my style, Damon."

"Why exactly do you want to come?" Emma asked.

"Cause I'm a good citizen and I want to know what the hell is going on around here." When Damon and Emma arrived at the boat yard, they made Dominic stay behind.

"No, no, no. I'm coming."

"The deal was you have to do exactly what we say. And I'm saying stay here. The people at the Scupper got better at exactly the same time you did," said Emma.

"So the people who heard Ray were affected for the same duration. You were gone for two hours and the people at the Freddy were gone for four. "

"So what makes it shorter?" Damon asked as they both drew their pistols.

"The better question is what makes it longer?"

"Okay. Now I wish Haven had a SWAT team." They heard footsteps and Lilly ran out. "Whoa. Down. Down." Lilly bent down on her knees. Half an hour later, Damon and Emma had Lilly and were driving back to the Freddy.

"So what happened?" Damon asked.

"Ray played his music, Lucassi found us, overpowered Ray, threw him in the car, and said something about taking him back," said Lilly.

"Keep her here until we call you," said Emma to Dominic as she and Damon exited the truck.

"I think you're taking this good citizen thing way to literally."

"Just do it!"

"Are we sure Lucassi came here?" Damon asked as they entered the Freddy.

"Where else would he go? Since he knows what Ray could do." Emma watched as Damon loaded his gun. "Damon. He's a good doctor."

"Who's currently crazier than an outhouse rat."

"And then there's that. You know it might work."

"What?"

"Using Ray to manage his patients. If he can keep them under control."

"Big if. Take it from a guy who caught the funk." Suddenly, Emma heard a whirring noise.

"We might have a problem." Damon entered the room and saw Lucassi with a scalpel in his hand.

"Stop. This is sterile," said the doctor.

"Doctor, don't do this."

"Do you realize what this man can do?"

"Yes," said Emma, walking closer to the doctor.

"I need his brain. This is a whole new world."

"You're right. We do need to understand him."

"If we can." Emma noticed a defibrillator behind the doctor and before he could do anything else, she shocked him.

"You're getting good at that," said Damon.

"Electricity. It did wonders on you." Later that night, Ray was awake.

"When did it all start?" Emma asked.

"I don't know. Stopped playing everything when Lilly got sick. Didn't have it in me. Freddy was the first time I'd played in forever. Didn't used to be that way."

"Is that your grandfather's boat?"

"Yeah. He came here on it. He always told me to stay away from music. I think he knew. I just thought he hated rock n roll."

"Doctor, if the goal is safety through solitude, wouldn't a small boat on the ocean be an acceptable risk?"

"Yes."

"Okay, Doctor. Ray is special."

"I'm aware of Mr. McBreen's condition and you're right. He is special."

"Yeah, but he's also just a man who wants to be with his wife. So if we just let them go on the boat, maybe that's the right thing to do. Maybe that's where he should be." The doctor nodded, agreeing with Emma's plan. Ray played his music and snuck out of the Freddy with Lilly, William, and Howard. The next morning, Emma helped Ray load some supplies into the Caprice at a dock.

"You going to be okay?" Emma asked.

"With this crack crew we'll be fine. I brought a lot of instruments."

"Yeah, as long as you play them way out at sea."

"Yup. And when it's safe, we'll take short trips back to the shore. Maybe help some other people, see the world. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"I wanted to apologize to you," said Howard.

"For?"

"For gaping at you like a school boy. It's just you are the spitting image of someone I sold flowers to years ago."

"Who?"

"Daisies, snapdragons, and orchids. I remember flowers, not names."

"Hey, was that around 1983."

"I believe it was," said Howard as the boat began to move.

"Wait. What was her name?"

"I don't know."

"No, no. Please."

"Lucy. I believe it was Lucy!" Howard yelled as the boat left the dock. A few minutes later, Emma walked over to Damon who was waiting for her.

"Lucy. The lady in the picture. It's Lucy. Mr. Sperry told me."

"Lucy. That's a start."

"Yeah. Okay, you know what? I admit it. This weird stuff does kind of turn me on."

"You want to fix them," Damon smiled.

"No, they're just cases. Really interesting cases."

"Well, maybe you'll fix me someday."

"I don't think so. Nobody can fix you. Besides, I like you just the way you are."

"Damon, where are you?" Laverne said over the radio. "Dr. Lucassi called. More shenanigans up at the Freddy. Three patients have gone missing."

"I think you better go check that out."

"Yeah. That place is crazy. They really better get their act together."


	4. Throw It All Away

At the marina, Emma was standing on the dock when Dominic passed by.

"Good morning, Mrs. Salvatore," said Dominic.

"Hi. And it's Petrova. I never took his last name and before you ask, no, it doesn't bother Damon."

"Hmm. You look, um, nice."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you look nice."

"And yet somehow it doesn't sound like a compliment."

"Are you on duty?"

"Why?"

"You're dressed like you're on duty. Don't get me wrong. You pull it off beautifully."

"And that doesn't rate better than nice?"

"You have a certain federal agent chic thing going on."

"Yeah. I wanted to ask you a couple of questions."

"Are these a couple of work related questions?"

"No. I'm on my own time. I'm looking into a woman named Lucy."

"You know I would love to help, but I think I've made it pretty clear. I don't talk to cops, even cops I like which…technically, you would be the only one. So congratulations, but nonetheless, I still don't do it."

"That was almost a compliment. Heavy on the almost."

"I'll be more careful next time."

"You know, I could make you talk to me."

"Yeah, I suppose you could…or you could make life a whole lot easier on yourself and wait until I'm in a more cooperative mood."

"Fine. Later."

"Hey, Emma. You should check out the Haven's Farmer's Market. Have a snow cone. Let me know how it is."

Half an hour later, Emma arrived at the bustling farmer's market. She passed by an apple stand and saw a woman come up to the man selling apples, yelling.

"Is this some kind of joke?"

"What are you talking about, Kat?"

"This apple is rotten."

"I'm sorry. Is there a problem here?" Emma asked.

"If you're selling rotten stock to us, the chef is going to have a fit."

"You're crazy. There's nothing wrong with my apples."

"What does this look like?" Kat asked Emma.

"A candy apple." Emma turned the apple and saw part of it was rotten.

"Hold on. I just dipped those. My apples are fine." The farmer opened a barrel and all the apples were rotten. "Oh my God. What the hell is this?" Suddenly, people began to get sick, throwing up. The corn and eggs turned rotten as well.

Later, the police and EMTs had arrived to take witness statements and take care of the sick.

"Trouble at the Farmer's Market. You're here. Cause and effect," Damon quipped.

"Funny," Emma laughed.

"So what happened?"

"This used to be sweet corn."

"Big deal. I've seen worse in my fridge."

"Yeah, I had to clean out that fridge remember? That's beside the point. This happened almost instantly."

"Biological agent?"

"Disease. Weird fungus."

"Chemical. Drunk crop duster."

"I may not have your sensitive nose, but I think I would have smelled that one."

"They'll test for everything. Whatever it was had an area effect."

"But it hit just a few carts. Why not all of them?"

"You think they were targeted?"

"Possibly. But you know what's weird? The timing. All of this went bad at the same time."

"Okay, let's go check out these farms." A few minutes later, Emma and Damon checked out the corn and apple farms.

"Seamus Stewart? Damon Salvatore, Haven Police. Sorry to bother you. This is my wife, Officer Petrova."

"Is it all like that?" Emma asked, looking at decayed sweet corn on the ground.

"This is what I get for going organic."

"You don't use chemicals?"

"Angus is a vegan. Guess you can blame him for this."

"So we're asking that any affected farmers give us a list of their customers and suppliers," said Emma when she and Damon arrived at the apple farm.

"This is really what you ought to be looking at." They looked and saw that all the trees in part of the orchard were decayed. A few minutes later, Damon and Emma were walking through town.

"I got the guys digging through the farmer's paperwork," said Damon.

"Why so selective? One plot out of a whole orchard? One hen house. One crib of corn out of a dozen and why these stands?"

"Have you thought about calling the Bureau?"

"I wasn't planning on it, but I'd like to have something to tell them first. Anything."

"Here. You can show them this. Prelim tox report."

"Hydrochloric acid?"

"It's not a biological agent."

"It's not a weaponized one. It's stomach acid. That doesn't get on the tops of trees and in eggs unless someone puts it there." A few minutes later, Emma and Damon received a call from the medical examiner from the marina.

"Eleanor, what happened?" Damon asked when they arrived.

"The entire high school sailing team. GI distress, nausea."

"Any idea what caused it?" Emma asked.

"Post-race treats?" Eleanor suggested, showing Damon a candy bar wrapper.

"Ah hell. Benjy?" Damon asked.

"Who's Benjy?" Emma asked.

"Ice cream. Homemade in Haven," Damon explained when they arrived at Big Benjy's Ice Cream Parlor. "Been going since I was a kid. I mean how do you not love meeting the cow that made your ice cream possible."

"Back up. The cows live at the store? Isn't that a zoning problem at a minimum?"

"Not when you put the store where the cows live. It's never been a problem. It's been here for forty years."

"Okay, so what's the common thread? Farms, animals?"

"Let's find out." Damon tried to open the door, but it was locked. "He likes his naps." Damon knocked on the door and an older man opened the door.

"Damon."

"Benjy."

"Your knocking woke me up."

"Benjy, did you have any problems at the store today?"

"Not that I'm aware."

"You mind if we take a look in the freezer?" Emma asked.

"Of course not. What's going on?"

"Something happened over at Haven Academy. Some kids got sick," Damon explained.

"From my bars?"

"We don't know exactly."

"Yeah. Now we do." Emma pulled a cover away from the freezer and they saw all the ice cream had turned black.

"What happened?"

"Are your cows here?"

"Out back." They walked outside and saw that the cows were dead and a black liquid had oozed out of their udders. Later, Emma walked into the office she shared with Damon. She saw a Go UMaine mug, a red plaid shirt, and a pair of furry boots on her desk.

"What's this stuff?" Emma asked.

"You want to be a local? Helps to look like one."

"Thank you, Damon. That's very sweet. But all I thought I had to do was squint a lot and leave out half my words."

"It'd be a start."

"I'm still trying to figure out what these incidents still have in common. Do you have the vendor report?"

"Right here."

"And?"

"There's a common thread, but I can't believe the McShaws have anything to do with this."

"The Mcwhos?"

"Bill and Jeff McShaw. They're brothers. They run the Second Chance Bistro. All these vendors supply them."

"So you think somebody's trying to hurt them through their suppliers? That's a reach."

"Yeah. A big one."

"There was a woman, yelling at a apple vendor at the market. Something about a chef getting mad."

"Sounds like Jeff. He's pretty good at getting mad. Let's go talk to him."

"Go…" Emma started, looking at the UMaine mug.

"Black Bears!" Damon finished.

"Yeah, this local thing is going to take a while." A few minutes later, Emma and Damon arrived at the restaurant that looked right over the water.

"Place has been in their family for ages. Bill stuck around and took over when their folks died. Nice guy."

"And Jeff?"

"Talented and he knows it. Studied cooking all over the world and just got back in town. They're reopening with a menu featuring only local ingredients. Hey, Bill."

"Hey, Damon."

"This is Emma, my wife and partner."

"I thought Jeff was just being dramatic."

"Dramatic about what?" Emma asked.

"A lot of food's gone bad…recently. We made a beautiful corn and apple fritter to go with the entrée tonight and look what happened?" He opened trash can and they saw decayed corn and apples.

"Corn and apples. Did he use eggs in there?"

"Yeah. Sure. I thought we were just getting a run of bad stock."

"Can we talk to Jeff?"

"Yeah. Come on in."

"Any idea why someone would be out to hurt your business?" Emma asked Jeff.

"Jealousy. Katarina, no sesame seeds. You trying to make me sick? It muddies the flavor."

"Let's talk about your enemies."

"I have fans, not enemies."

"Could there be competitors out to disrupt you?"

"Competition? No one over here is doing what I'm doing. "

"This guy keeps coming over, looking at the building. John Robert," said Bill, handing Emma a flyer for Robert's business.

"What exactly is a lobster pup?"

"Kind of like a hot dog with…lobster. Not my thing, but it's working for him. He's got twenty locations," Damon answered.

"That's possible. Is there anyone closer to you that we could look at?"

"We fired a few people a couple of months ago," Bill answered.

"Ah, this is something new. Seared squab with tarragon," said Jeff, pulling a pan out of the oven.

"Squab? Is that pigeon?"

"Free-range organic pigeon. We raise them on the roof," Katarina corrected.

"Hello, boys. Delivery!" Dominic yelled, coming through the back door with a crate. "Well, well, well, look who's here. How was the Farmer's Market?"

"Not so great thanks to you. How was your afternoon?" Emma asked.

"Entertaining."

"Really?"

"You look lovely." Damon looked between the two. "And you're looking very Damon-y."

"What have you got for me today?" Jeff asked.

"500 to find out."

"Dollars? For that crate?" Emma asked.

"Meg, just in time," said Dominic, noticing Bill's wife enter the room.

"For what?" Emma asked.

"Mystery crate."

"Sometimes it's uni from Japan or yellowtail from Ecuador," Jeff clarified.

"By the way, he has to pay first," said Dominic. "That's the game."

"Nothing black market of course," Damon warned.

"No. Of course not, Damon."

"Five hundred's on the steep side," said Bill.

"I don't think we can do this right now. With reopening costs…" Meg began, angry.

"We have to. Bill, tell your wife. In for a penny, in for a pound. This is what makes us better than everyone else," said Jeff.

"Money is one thing, but getting on the wrong side of Meg is on top of my don't list. This one's on me," Dominic said.

"I'll take free for an answer." A few minutes later, Damon and Emma were walking to the parking lot.

"Everything we've seen ties into this place," said Emma.

"You think someone's after Jeff?"

"He says he has no enemies, but still an angry sister-in-law, a jealous brother."

"A wannabe food tycoon looking at his storefront."

"But still why attack through four different suppliers? And why acid? It just doesn't make sense." Suddenly, a pigeon fell to the ground. "What was that?" More pigeons fell and Damon and Emma hurried into Damon's truck.

"Raining birds? You've got to be kidding me," Damon muttered.

"I've seen this movie. It doesn't end well." After the attack of the pigeons had ended, Emma and Damon talked to Katarina who was on the second floor, looking at the pigeon coops.

"Poor guys," said Katarina.

"You were raising them to cook them," said Damon.

"Yeah, but this? This is wrong."

"Are you sure that nobody comes to mind that might have a problem with Jeff or the restaurant?" Emma asked.

"Probably the biggest problem for Jeff is Meg. I don't think she'd do this, but…"

"But?"

"There's definitely tension between them. Jeff basically came back to bail Bill out. Jeff could be in New York or London. Should be, but Bill needed help. I don't think Meg liked him needing it. Look, I've got to go back, okay?"

"Go ahead. Resentment's a motive," said Damon when Katarina left.

"Yeah. I can smell the acid in this thing. Do you think Meg would do this?"

"Someone did." Half an hour later, Emma met Meg at her house.

"This is amazing," said Emma, looking at Meg's garden outside.

"I grow most of the herbs we use at the restaurant. Some produce too."

"It's perfect."

"It's my refuge. Bill can be with Jeff all day at the restaurant, but I'm not his brother."

"You don't like your brother-in-law?"

"I don't like how he treats my husband. I'd walk away from Jeff and this place in a heartbeat if I could."

"Bill won't go?"

"Three generations of McShaws have owned that place. Bill has held it together himself for years."

"So why did he ask Jeff to come back?"

"Their parents made them promise to keep the business. Bill is nothing if not faithful to his word, but Jeff is the restaurant genius. Not Bill. You see that chair over there." Emma looked at a wooden bench. "That's Bill's gift. You give Bill a piece of wood and he'll make something wonderful."

"So Bill puts Jeff first."

"Jeff puts Jeff first. He doesn't appreciate Bill or how much Bill gave up to keep his promise and he never will."

"Sounds like you resent him."

"His overspending, his quest for the perfect dish. He's put us in a spot that if this reopening doesn't work, we'll lose everything. I guess you could say I resent him."

"What happened to your tarragon?" Emma asked, noticing the dead plants.

"I'm not sure. When I came out here today, it was like that."

Later that day, Emma was trying on dresses at a store when Vince and Dave Teagues walked in the store.

"Oh, hello, Emma," said Dave.

"Hi. Margie's upstairs getting her phone."

"Sure."

"You look nice," said Vince, seeing Emma in a yellow dress.

"Nice? Yeah, I've been getting a lot of that lately. I'm trying to find something to wear to this restaurant reopening Damon and I are going to. Will you guys look at me? What's wrong? Is it too professional?"

"No. But it is too…" Dave began.

"Sunny," Vince finished.

"Yeah exactly. Sunny."

"I don't do sunny. Can you just hold on? Just right there. I'll try another one on." Emma tried on multiple dresses and none of them looked right. Vince handed her a dark blue dress.

"Really? I don't think…I can't believe you guys are giving me fashion advice."

"She should have come to us sooner," Dave whispered.

"A lot sooner," Vince whispered. Emma walked out in the blue dress.

"You're staring again," said Emma.

"But in a good way this time," Dave added. "That sounded creepy even to me."

"It's perfect," said Vince.

"Thank you."

"She's lucky we came in when we did," said Dave. That night, Emma and Damon had dinner at the Second Chance Bistro.

"You look beautiful," said Damon as he pulled out Emma's chair for her.

"Thank you," said Emma, sitting down.

"While we came in, I was watching the kitchen. Didn't see anything suspicious. And John Robert doesn't do anything, but have too many drinks."

"I have a theory."

"Surprise."

"You're not going to like it."

"Surprise again."

"Jeff cooks fritters. All the ingredients he uses go bad at the market. He cooks squab. Pigeons fall from the sky. I was in Meg's garden today and all the tarragon…dead. The same tarragon he used to cook the squab. "

"Emma."

"Everything Jeff cooks dies."

"Emma."

"The flocks, the orchards…"

"And the Benjy bars?"

"No idea. Except that I'm out of answers."

"So we should embrace bad ones?"

"No."

"Officer Petrova, Damon," said Dominic, seeing the couple. He sat at their table.

"Contribute any contraband to tonight's menu, Dom?" Damon asked.

"Well, we'll have to see what Jeff made. Wait, are you two…are you two on a date?"

"We decided we'd mix business with pleasure," Emma muttered.

"Excuse me."

"I'm going to test my theory. Just don't eat anything," said Emma before she rose from her seat. Bill joined Damon after Emma left.

"Here's that list of old employees."

"Thanks. You know I'm surprised you invited Roberts here. You know he's interested in the place."

"He asked Jeff to sell his half and Jeff said neither of us would do that."

"I hate to say it, Bill, but you might want to double check that. Roberts told me Jeff was on his speed dial." Bill walked away from the table and approached Roberts.

"So my theory was brilliant, but completely wrong," said Emma, returning to the table. "Cooked with the basil, but the garden was fine."

"Shocker." Suddenly, Emma overheard an argument between Bill and Jeff.

"What was that about?"

"I think Bill just found out Jeff is on John Roberts' speed dial." After a toast, the main course was served and Emma looked at Damon's plate.

"Damon. Look down." The salmon had turned black and decayed. The restaurant guests coughed and threw up as they witnessed their food. "So much for preventing the next attack." After the guests left, Damon and Emma watched as Jeff and Bill got into a huge argument over the restaurant.

"Running out again, Jeff? No more second chances," said Bill.

"I'm all out of them. Take the knife," said Jeff, handing Bill a pocket knife. "You're on your own this time."

"Well, it wasn't Jeff's cooking," said Emma.

"I was watching the food the whole time. I don't get it."

"Yeah. Neither do I."

The next morning, Damon and Emma were called out to a pier at the marina. Jeff McShaw had been found dead.

"What the hell?" Emma asked as she looked over the side of the water. A bunch of fish were floating at the surface, dead. A few minutes later, Emma and Damon questioned Dominic on his boat. Dominic had been the last person to see Jeff.

"You really think that I would hurt Jeff?"

"No, I don't. We need to know what you saw," said Damon.

"He showed up here late. He was upset about what happened at the dinner."

"He blame anybody?"

"Jeff? He blamed everybody."

"Anyone in particular?" Emma asked.

"No. I know he seemed like a monster, but he wasn't. Outside of the kitchen, he was a good guy."

"Why'd he come to see you last night?" Damon asked.

"Because he was upset, Damon. He needed somebody to talk to. He told me about the fight he had with his brother. He felt trapped."

"So what was all this business with the knife?" Emma asked.

"When I was a kid, I had a pellet gun. We shot at duck. Later when Jeff tried to cook it, it escaped and came flapping at us. Scared the crap out of us. Bill tried to put it out of its misery with a pocket knife, but Jeff stopped him. He said maybe it deserves a second chance. He used the pocket knife to make us peanut butter and jelly sandwiches instead and ever since then we've been giving each other second chances. Hence, the name of the restaurant. It was meant to be a second chance for them."

"So you talked and…"

"I told him I'd help him in any way I could. He said he didn't feel well and he left. I heard a noise on the dock. I didn't think anything of it. I thought he tripped and…" Dominic walked away.

"I think I'm going to go talk to Meg and Bill again," said Emma.

"I'm going to go find John Roberts."

"Why Roberts?"

"He was the last call made on Jeff's cell."

When Emma visited Meg, she saw a Big Benjy's ice cream wrapper on the floor of the shed.

"Oh sorry about that. It's Bill's favorite stress food. He was working here yesterday."

"Does he have more of these?"

"In there," said Meg, pointing to a chest freezer. Emma opened the freezer and saw all the ice cream had decayed. "What is that?"

"The missing piece." Later, Emma and Damon confronted Bill and they all found out that Bill was the one who was causing the food to decay. It was triggered when Bill ate food and was angry.

"Jeff's autopsy results are in. There was no salmon in his stomach. Just some kind of pastry."

"You mean I didn't kill him?"

"It might have been an accident. Fell into the water, drowned. He was in anaphylactic shock. Some major allergic reaction to sesame oil."

"But Jeff never ate anything without knowing what was in it."

"Maybe it wasn't an accident," said Emma. A few minutes later, Bill, Emma, and Damon found Katarina having lunch at the restaurant.

"How you holding up, Katarina?" Emma asked.

"I feel lost without him."

"Yeah, I'm sure you do. You two were close weren't you?"

"Yeah. I thought we were going places together."

"Instead, you're going to be going to prison alone. That's kind of sad."

"What? I don't understand."

"Sure you do. You knew Jeff was allergic to sesame oil. So you drizzled some on a pastry and the pecans hid the flavor."

"No. I…"

"So what…he came over, you talked him into tasting some."

"You can't prove any of this."

"She doesn't have to if you confess," said Damon.

"You know what the funny thing is? We thought Bill killed Jeff for awhile. But then we realized it had to be you."

"You grew up here, Katarina. So did I. You've heard stories about the Troubles."

"Those are just stories."

"Are they?"

"You know why the food kept going bad? It was Bill. He was so angry about things here that when he ate, he poisoned the food," said Emma.

"You people are crazy."

"You think so? Then you won't mind if Bill finished the sandwich you were eating," said Damon.

"Don't worry about it. He hasn't killed anybody yet."

"Except some pigeons."

"And the cows, but that was an accident."

"Makes you wonder what would happen if he was trying."

"Stop! Okay! He wasn't supposed to die! After everything I did for him, he was going to leave me here and go back to New York!"

"You knew he was allergic."

"Yes, but I just wanted to make him sick. I thought with all the ill people no one would notice. I never meant to kill him. I just wanted to make him feel as bad as I did. I'm sorry. No one should be able to do things like that."

"They can't. That's the thing about growing up here. People actually believe those tales. The Troubles are just stories to scare kids around the campfire."

"Are you okay?" Emma asked Damon after they took Katarina away.

"Yeah, I can't have her thinking Haven's full of freaks, can I?"

Later that night, Emma dropped off Jeff's personal effects. Jeff had had the pocket knife with him.

"I can't believe Jeff was going to stay," said Bill.

"He went back for the knife. Guess he wasn't done giving second chances."

"Hey," said Dominic, arriving. "I'm sorry about Jeff."

"Thanks for coming."

"What's up, Bill?"

"Same deal. This time I set the price."

"Alright, I'll bite. How much?"

"20."

"That's it?" Dominic handed Bill a twenty. Bill handed him a box. Dominic opened it and saw a key and deed to the restaurant. "A second chance."

"I don't want to run it without Jeff. Brings me nothing but anger and stress doesn't agree with my digestion."

"I can't take your restaurant."

"You're the only second chance I have left."

"I don't know what to say."

"That you know the rules. There's no refunds. Besides, you could use a legitimate business."

"When you put it that way…" Dominic took the key and deed. The next day, Damon walked into the office and saw Emma sitting at her desk wearing the clothes he had gotten her.

"So what do you think?" Emma asked.

"It's a start."

"Oh, that's high praise from a Salvatore."

"Saw your car, parked on the street."

"And?"

"You took up three spaces."

"So?"

"It's going to take time."

"Yeah. Yeah, it is. "

"You know, I was thinking about... how there are two different Havens. There's the one that's right beneath the surface, and there's the one right underneath that."

"Sounds like every town."

"It's definitely not like every town. But you live in both Havens and I think that we're going to find that very useful."

"Might be." Emma put her feet up on the table and Damon looked like he was about to bust out laughing. Emma was wearing the boots he got her.

"This is one of those times where you need to say absolutely nothing." Damon nodded.

"Okay." They both laughed.


	5. Animal

Monday, Emma walked across the street from her car to the bakery to get a snack before going to the office. Eleanor, Haven's M.E., walked over to Emma's car and began to write 'No Parking' on her windshield with a marker.

"Hey, Eleanor! What are you doing!" Emma asked, running across the street.

"Teaching the summer people where not to park."

"What! It's a perfectly good parking spot."

"Back in '87, the Gibson girl got hit by a car. She couldn't see it because the car was parked here. Blocked the sight line. So no one parks here now."

"And how exactly am I supposed to know that?" Eleanor drew a line underneath her message on Emma's windshield. "How about posting a sign? God, why does everything in this town have to be such a huge secret?"

"No one will talk to you about your mother, huh?"

"Apparently, I don't have the secret password yet."

"Well, stick it out, Emma. You've got to learn to be a local. For instance, Larissa's baked goods are too dry. Rosemary's are better," said Eleanor as Emma's phone rang. "Give it fifteen years or so, kiddo. You'll be fine."

"Petrova." Emma listened for a moment before turning to Eleanor. "Hey, where's the Haven Hunt Club?"

Half an hour later, Emma arrived at the club, meeting Damon at a crime scene. Apparently, a man had been mauled by some kind of animal in his car.

"So what is this exactly? I'm picturing a lot of deer heads staring down at everyone," said Emma to Damon after a good morning kiss.

"Yup. Except most of the hunting is guys using shots of whiskey to bring down business deals. It's exclusive. Well, not that exclusive. They let my father join."

"You mean the Chief."

"No, I mean my father. This is his personal life."

"And it's not yours."

"Nope. Not a big fan of killing for fun."

"Who's the victim?"

"T.R. Holt. Divorced. Old money."

"Whoa!" said Emma, seeing a huge hole in the back windshield of the car.

"Consensus says it was a wolf attack, but we'll have to analyze the fur to make sure. Probably rabid. They think he broke the window to get in."

"But you don't?"

"Rabid wolves bite and run. They don't feed like this."

"But they break into cars apparently. So what? He bashed his head on the window to get in? I mean unless he's as numb as you are or he just really wanted to get in…something about this feels creepy."

"Full moon last night."

"Oh look at you. Trying to make a werewolf joke," Emma chuckled.

"We've got another problem to consider. Manager says Holt was arguing with a guy named Brad Donnelly when he left last night."

"And the problem is?"

"My father. They're both friends of his."

"You want to blame this on Brad Donnelly? How does that even begin to make sense?" asked Giuseppe, approaching the two.

"Chief, wolves just don't…"

"Don't be telling me what they do and what they don't do. I'm looking at what one of them did. That animal's got to be killed. That's it."

"Before it teaches other wolves to break into cars?" Emma asked cheekily.

"We're going to organize a hunt. Put out a call for volunteers. You're helping with this one," said Giuseppe to Damon.

"Putting dozens of men in the forest and blasting at every thing that moves is not a good idea."

"That's exactly where you're wrong."

"If we don't investigate and something comes out later, it'll look like you're covering for your buddies."

"Look, it's going to take some time to organize your hunt. So just give us the day," said Emma, trying to diffuse the situation.

"Okay, take the day. Nothing else better happen."

A few minutes later, Emma spoke with Landon. According to the manager of the club, he had been shot at by T.R. and Donnelly.

"Manager said you'd been shot at," said Emma.

"It's no big deal."

"Getting shot at is always a big deal. You were with T.R. and Donnelly, right?"

"Yeah, but…"

"You don't think you were the target?"

"No."

"Alright. So who was shooting at who? Listen, I don't want to cause any trouble here. I just need to know what happened."

"Donnelly fired. A bullet hit a tree right next to me. Scared me half to death."

"Donnelly shot at T.R.?"

"I hate to think so. Accidents do happen out there. They were fighting over a girl." Emma met up with Damon and they talked to Donnelly.

"Mr. Donnelly, we want to talk to you," said Emma.

"I've seen you around. You're that FBI girl. Petrova."

"Keen eyes. Makes me wonder how you missed that shot you took at T.R. the other day. Coincidences make me curious."

"T.R. wasn't shot and I didn't shoot at him. There's a coincidence for you."

"But you were fighting with him," said Damon.

"T.R. and I were like brothers. Fought, drank, raised hell…like brothers. Nobody's going to miss that poor bastard more than me." After Donnelly went to his car, Emma and Damon left the hunt club for the police station.

"Donnelly's hiding something," said Damon, entering the station.

"Besides his charms? I don't doubt it, but I don't buy murder by animal either," Emma replied.

"Just the people we were looking for," said Dave as he and Vince approached the couple.

"Don't have anything for you, fellas," said Damon.

"Unless you want a pastry," Emma added, offering them the goodies she'd acquired from Larissa's.

"Are those Larissa's?" Dave asked.

"You bet."

"I'll pass."

"You should try Rosemary's," said Vince.

"So I've heard. Can we talk off the record?"

"Oh, that sounds exciting."

"He says that when the waiter offers to pepper his salad," said Dave.

"What do you guys know about T.R. and Donnelly?" Damon asked.

"Apparently they were quarrelling over a woman," Emma added.

"Oh, there's that Jess Minnion woman. She's some sort of animal rights and wrongs person," said Vince.

"The word's activist, Vince," Dave corrected.

"She's a witch."

"You got that right."

"They were fighting over her?" Damon asked.

"With maybe. Not over. Everyone at the club agrees she's a pain in the ass," said Dave.

"Only if you like shooting animals," Vince argued.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're a member of the club, Dave?" Emma asked.

"Thirty-five years. More likely they were fighting over Brad Donnelly's wife, Susannah."

"The dead guy had something with Donnelly's wife?" Emma asked.

"That's what people were saying," said Dave.

"Well, even a rumor of adultery can be enough." Half an hour later, Emma and Damon reported their findings to Giuseppe.

"That's what you got?" Giuseppe asked.

"Yeah," said Damon.

"If you take the gossip at that club seriously, half the town would be locked up."

"Half the town isn't dead," Emma argued.

"Not yet. They expedited the lab work. We're getting that wolf."

"This wasn't an ordinary wolf attack," Damon warned.

"This town's scared. Mayor wants a curfew and I'm close to ordering it. So unless there's some evidence that you haven't seen fit to mention." Silence. "Let's get it rolling. The hunt's on."

The next morning, Donnelly was found dead in his garage, apparently attacked by a wolf.

"Donnelly and T.R. both within 24 hours? That doesn't just happen," said Emma.

"Don't get a lot of wolf attacks inside people's garages either," Damon added.

"Where do you stock for silver bullets?"

"Funny."

"I'm not sure that was a joke."

"Full moon was two nights ago. How many nights do werewolves get?"

"There are rules? Who says?"

"The same guy who says silver bullets actually work."

"Let's go talk to his wife." A few minutes later, Emma and Damon met with Susannah outside the home.

"We have reports the men were fighting over a woman," said Damon.

"And you assumed it was me, but I bet it was that Jess Minnion woman. She's been hexing us. You didn't know? Right there." She showed them a symbol spray painted on the side of their house. "She told Brad it was some kind of Micmaw witch mark. Supposed to say something to the animals about us."

"Thanks, Susannah. If we need you, we'll be in touch," said Damon as Emma took a picture of the marking with her cellphone.

"Sure. But as soon as probate clears I'm moving to Tallahassee."

"Thanks for your time."

"I've seen that mark before. At the hunt club," said Emma to Damon after Susannah left.

"You really think this Jess Minnion is a witch?"

"What? We were just talking about werewolves a second ago and now witches are out of bounds? She's an animal rights activist and I saw this mark at the sight of the two other attacks."

"Witch or not she's a person of interest."

"Okay. So let's be interested."

An hour later, Damon and Emma arrived at Jess Minnion's farm.

"Took you long enough," said Jess, approaching the two officers.

"You've been waiting for us?" Damon asked.

"T.R. is dead. He hated me. It's inevitable that you'd show up here."

"Why did T.R. hate you?" Emma asked.

"I have ninety acres here. I'm letting it go back to the way it wants to be. I don't let the club hunt on it."

"I've heard a few reports that you've taken some pod shot at them," said Damon.

"Five in the morning how can you tell a hunter from a thief? Hard enough in full daylight right?"

"Can you explain this?" Emma asked, showing Jess a picture of the symbol on the Donnelly's house and at the hunt club.

"It's a Micmaw hieroglyph. It means offering forgiveness."

"Are you aware that Brad Donnelly died the same way T.R. did? By a wolf."

"I gather they didn't forgive him. Come with me." They all walked to the back of her house where several stones were placed on the ground. "Each of these stones marks an animal that's died on this land. Wounded by guns, maimed by traps, poisoned. One step from being stuffed and put on display. The spirits of these animals come knocking at the doors of these guys looking for revenge. It's not a crime. That is justice."

"Ms. Minnion, why do people think you're a witch?" Emma asked.

"Maybe because they don't like the way I think."

"So you're not a witch?"

"What's a witch? Someone who does magic? What do you think the Troubles are? Magic is everywhere here. It's in the soil, the water, in us."

When Emma and Damon returned to the station, Dave and Vince Teagues were waiting for them.

"Brad Donnelly's death…" Dave began.

"Is still under investigation," Damon finished.

"Guys, we don't have time for this," Emma added.

"What do you think about the reward?" Vince asked.

"Reward?"

"Club members pitched in to put a bounty on this wolf. They're shooting for $10,000," said Dave.

"It's terrible," Vince added as Damon walked into the office he shared with Emma.

"About time. People are scared."

"We'll keep you posted," said Emma as she slammed the door to her office shut. "So what do we have? A wolf inside Donnelly's garage, but do you buy a wild animal stalking its prey indoors?"

"No. And we have another broken window. Back to human help."

"Animal trainer. Getting animals in and out unnoticed? Maybe somebody that can make animals do things."

"Like an evil Dr. Doolittle."

"Or you know. Like a witch."

"Come on. Jess Minnion has the easiest alibi to check."

"What difference does it make about the alibi? If you can compel animals do things, you don't have to be there when it happens."

"Okay. This is ridiculous."

A few hours later, Damon and Emma met the Chief's hunting team at the Hunt Club.

"This is going to be fun," said Dave, a member of the hunting party.

"Oh yeah. All kinds of fun," said Emma sarcastically as they walked through the forest.

"They're going to be blasting at their shadows all day," said Damon, hearing gunfire from the other teams.

"Where's Vince?" Emma asked.

"He doesn't hunt. He says he loves all creatures great and small. Usually with fries."

"Hold up. This is the back end of the Minnion farm. It's posted. We can't go in," said Damon, noticing a no trespassing sign.

"Ever heard of hot pursuit?" Giuseppe asked.

"This direction isn't any more likely than another," said Emma.

"Or any less. This is part of our area to sweep. We're going in."

"This is a bad idea," Damon muttered. Suddenly, they heard a growling. A dog ran through the forest and Giuseppe aimed to shoot at it.

"No," said Damon, knocking off his father's aim as Giuseppe pulled the trigger.

"What are you doing?" Giuseppe yelled.

"That was a dog." Suddenly a moose stampeded through, knocking Vince and Giuseppe to the ground. Emma and Damon shot at it until it's head fell off.

"What the hell?" said Emma, looking at the remains. "It's stuffed with rags and sand."

"So much for the werewolf theory."

"Yeah. We have real evidence now, but I have no idea what to do with this."

"Dave's got to get checked out," said Giuseppe. "We've got to get him out of here."

"What do you want us to do with this?" Damon asked.

"Let me worry about this. I want you two to get him out of here, stop this nonsense…"

"Nonsense? Like this hunt?" Damon asked.

"You think this plays out better in the middle of Main Street, Damon? Just go get Teagues like I asked you to. Now."

"Nice," said Emma as Damon left. "You know he saved your life right?"

"Who do you think's been dealing with all of this since you graced us with your presence? Who do you think's going to be dealing with it after I'm gone? I want you in this job because you've got a knack for dealing with all this crap and I'm just praying to God some of it rubs off on him."

"He's a lot better at this than you think."

"I'll tell you what, Emma, this is a lot worse than what you think."

After getting Dave to the hospital, Emma and Damon went back to the hunt club and looked at the stuffed animals in the trophy room.

"Look," said Emma, seeing blood on one of the wolves' mouths. "Oh man. We're going to need some help." Half an hour later, Eleanor arrived to autopsy the wolf.

"Well, at least the clean up will be easy. The rags will wipe up the sand," said Eleanor.

"Something smells off," said Damon.

"Might be this," said Eleanor, pulling a human finger out of the wolf. "Wolfy had a bed time snack. Should be a match for T.R.'s. Well, you want to fill me in on everything, or are my services no longer required?"

"No, I think we have it from here. Thank you," said Emma.

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that. Doesn't have to be true to make you feel better. Good luck."

"What don't you want her to know?" Damon asked after Eleanor left.

"You know the moose that attacked your dad?"

"Yeah."

"This plaque says he shot one up in…"

"Arrorustic. Two years ago. You think that was the same one?"

"Do you see a moose? Wolfy over there shot by Donnelly. This one by T.R. Holt. The animals are coming alive and killing the people who killed them."

"And then they just go back to being stuffed?"

"See this? I found this on Wolfy over there. All of them have them." She handed Damon a tag, reading C. L.- 6.

"C.L. 6. What does that mean?"

"I don't know what it means, but between the plaques and the tags we have a time line and the most recent kills are coming alive first."

"There's some animals missing."

"So the first question is what's bringing them back."

"No. First one is where's the bear?" Damon asked, seeing an empty display stand.

"Who killed it?"

"Dave." Emma and Damon rushed out of the hunt club and pulled up to the Teagues' house just as a bear was trying to get into the cellar Vince and Dave were hiding in. They shot at the animal, but their bullets were ineffective against the creature.

"It took both of our shotguns to blow the head off that moose. These things are useless."

"Ideas?" Emma noticed a gas can on the porch.

"Yeah. Let's turn up the heat." Catching her drift, Damon grabbed the gas can and doused the bear with the flammable liquid. Emma threw a lit match on the bear. "Fire in the hole! Better than silver bullets."

"It was the damndest thing I've seen in ages," said Vince after Emma and Damon pulled them out of the cellar.

"You can be a little less thrilled, Vince," said Dave. "It almost killed me!"

"I know."

"Alright, I know you guys are excited, but we really need to discuss how you're going to write about this," said Emma.

"You're worried about how it will look in the Herald," Dave muttered.

"Does it have to look like anything?"

"What do you think it's going to look like, Dave? Rabies?" Vince suggested.

"Right time of year."

"Don't worry. We'll think of something. We always do."

"Do you guys recognize this? Came off the animal that attacked T.R.," said Emma, showing Dave the tag.

"Maker's mark. My bear had one just like it. C.L. 6. Canis Lupis number 6 is my best bet. Means it was the sixth wolf Landon Taylor stuffed. I recognize his mark." Half an hour later, Emma and Damon arrived at Landon Taylor's dry-cleaning business.

"Landon?" Damon called out.

"I'm back here cleaning up this mess." The two officers saw sand all over the floor.

"Looks like another attack. What happened?" Emma asked.

"I just came in and found this. Do you think this was one of those rabid animals?"

"The animals aren't rabid."

"You've heard about the Troubles haven't you?" Damon asked as he showed Landon a bag containing sand and rags. "We found this inside an animal that was killed while attacking someone."

"Recognize it?" Emma asked. "All the attacking animals are stuffed. By you."

"This is ours," said Landon.

"It came from the moose the Chief killed two years ago," Damon added.

"The animals are killing the people who killed them. And yours must be coming after you too," Emma concluded.

"If that's true, they'll all have to be destroyed."

"What are you doing here?" said Landon's mother, Piper, entering the room.

"We just came for Landon's help," said Damon.

"Stay away from my son. You're making a mistake. He has nothing to do with this," said Piper, grabbing some scissors.

"Mom, stop."

"Landon, get in the car. Go." Piper attacked, but Damon apprehended her. However, not before the scissors cut Landon. Sand dripped from his wound instead of blood.

"How?" Landon asked.

"Let me go. He needs me," said Piper as Landon ran away.

"He didn't stuff himself. He's not the cause of this," said Emma.

"It's my fault. It's all my fault. I can feel them. They're all waking up," said Piper. Within minutes, Damon and Emma had Piper in Damon's truck and were pursing Landon who was on his way to the hunt club.

"I thought Landon was the taxidermist," said Damon.

"He was. I never sewed them. I just gave him some of my sewing rags. I had no idea that would be enough to…"

"Bring them back?" Emma asked.

"When I found him in the fire, his wife was burned. I couldn't save her, but Lany wasn't. He must have just suffocated. He looked like he was still alive. I couldn't help myself."

"You said you could feel them waking up."

"When Landon came back, I felt it. Everything was fine until he almost got shot. I felt it again and it's just gotten stronger and stronger."

"Stress makes these things worse."

"My father wanted me to be careful. I thought I was. All I ever wanted to do was keep him safe," said Piper as they pulled up to the hunt club.

"Come on. We've got to hurry," said Damon. They rushed into the trophy room and Damon pulled Landon out of the room. However, before Emma could stop her Piper locked herself in, willing to sacrifice herself.

"This is my fault. I started this. They kill me and this stops. It ends with me," said Piper as the animals awoke and killed her.

Several hours later, Emma and Damon were talking in the station, trying to decide what they were going to tell Landon.

"They killed three wolves today. God knows what else," said Damon.

"Rabies story sticking?"

"Not sure I care. One way or another we'll make everyone think it's alright."

"It is, Damon. It's better anyway. I think it was the fire that caused Piper's condition to flare up and then she revived Landon. So when Landon was almost shot…"

"Her condition went into overdrive."

"What are we going to tell him?"

"The truth," said Damon as they walked into a room where Landon and his young son were. "I'm sorry about what happened to your mother."

"We're destroying all the animals your mom brought back just to be safe," Emma added.

"Except for me. Or did you change your minds about that?" Landon asked.

"Landon, this doesn't have to be so bad. You still have Zach to live for."

"Is that what I'm doing? Living? I'm not even real, Officer Petrova." Damon took out his pocketknife and cut his hand, showing the wound to Landon.

"Damon!" Emma yelled, concerned.

"I can't even feel that. You and I have a lot in common," said Damon to Landon. "We're different, but that doesn't make us any less than anybody else. In some ways it makes us more. You've been this way for how long? Six months? Have you been any less of a father to him? Did he even notice?"

"No."

"That's right. Cause you're more than this. You're magic."

"Maybe that's true," Landon smiled before leaving with his son.

"Do you really believe that? That you're magic?" Emma asked.

"Not quite," said Damon as he left the station with his wife, his arm around her neck.

"Well, you just saved that man's life." She kissed him reassuringly, knowing that his condition still made him insecure. "It may not be magic, but it's pretty damn close."


	6. White Blank Page

Emma and Damon arrived at the crime scene as a gurney carrying a wounded man was carted toward an ambulance.

"What happened to him?" Emma asked Eleanor.

"Anybody squeamish?"

"Not me." Eleanor pulled back a white sheet covering the man's lower body, revealing two large, purple bruises.

"Ruler straight. Clean breaks through both femurs on a horizontal axis. Massive tissue and bone damage."

"Those are tough bones to have broken," said Emma.

"Look at this. Identical fracture in the arm. It looks to be at a ninety degree angle to the leg fractures."

"Did he lose blood? Because this coloring…" Emma placed her finger on what appeared to be blood, but in actuality it was something else entirely. It almost looked like black ink. "What is this?"

"I'll take it to the lab."

"So he was assaulted. By who?" Damon asked.

"Or what?" Emma added.

"Good question," Eleanor said as she winked at Emma. "Well, you know where to find me should the occasion arise."

"You want to go talk to Wall Street and I'll go talk to the captain?" Emma asked. Damon nodded and Emma walked down to the captain. "So you called it in?"

"It's my boat. I'm responsible."

"Remember any weird waves? Loose winch line? Mast?" Captain Richards looked at her strangely. "I'm from Ohio."

"We were at the dock. I shut down all systems that have any real power the minute I tie off. This boat is cutting edge in terms of safety, technology."

"Pretty nice operation you have here."

"Yeah. A little bit off the beaten path though."

"What can you tell me about the victim?"

"Wallace is loaded. High-end tastes."

"Was he having a good time?"

"Clear water, big fish, cold beer. Who's not having a good time?"

"Me. Just dragging a line hoping to get the big one is not my thing."

"You'd never make it on Wall Street." Emma laughed in reply.

"Thank you." The captain nodded and left as Damon walked toward Emma.

"They claim they didn't see anything."

"Do you believe them?"

"Kept my hand on my wallet the entire time. Stories line up. They say they left him with the crew." A few minutes later, Damon and Emma were speaking with the crew that worked on the boat.

"Took me awhile to get their beers," said Vicki. "If I had come up sooner…"

"That had nothing to do with it, sweetie. Nothing at all," said Alec.

"So you're her father." The man nodded. "And Jimmy?"

"I'm her fiancé."

"So this is a family crew. That's great."

"Personally, I wish she wasn't working on the boat."

"Teacher's salary is small, Dad. We need the money."

"But against my better judgment, Vicki started taking shifts. More time with Jimmy I guess."

"And you."

"So you brought the beers…" Emma began.

"And I stepped onto the deck and there was this crunching sound and then he was down," said Vicki.

"And you two didn't see anything?" Damon asked.

"No. We were on the bow cleaning up from the day's fishing."

"Yeah. Hosing off the spilled wine and pâté," said Jimmy.

"Jimmy."

"You didn't catch anything?" Emma asked.

"The only thing those guys caught was a buzz."

"Jimmy! Go muck out the chain lockers. Please." Jimmy left sullenly. "Look, fact of the matter is these guys get annoying as hell. And it bothers Jimmy how hard we work for them. Hell, it bothers me. But that's the way it is for deck hands. You'd think having an old man that was one would have steered her away." After thanking the crew for their time, Damon and Emma walked to their car.

"Maybe that guy was pinched between the boat and the dock and no one saw," Damon suggested.

"One minute."

"Lots of power in an engine boat."

"55 seconds. That's all we've got."

"For what?"

"To rule out what's normal. Sudden acute early onset osteoporosis? Not likely. Sudden bone crushing weight gain? I mean, I guess the pâté could do that."

"How about boats are dangerous?"

"He was at a dock on a powered down boat that's nicer than our house and Vicki saw him crunch in a pretty weird way."

"You're that convinced already?"

"Yes. Because nothing I've seen lines up except two ruler straight breaks on Wallace's legs. And I'm pretty sure Eleanor winked at me."

"What?"

"She's a doctor. She knows when things aren't normal. And I have a feeling she knows a lot more."

"She winked at you?"

"There was winkage," said Emma as she wrapped her arms around Damon's neck and he placed his hands on her waist.

"Maybe you're right. Sometimes I just wish we could get a normal…"

"Brutal assault?"

"Doesn't that sound kind of nice?"

"Why would that be any better?"

"At least it wouldn't remind me of my own problems."

"Damon," Emma sighed.

"Forget it. Let's say for the sake of argument it's not something normal. What do we do?"

"We go to lunch, but you're not going to like it."

Half an hour later, Damon and Emma arrived at Dominic's restaurant.

"Dom?" Emma called out as they walked onto the back porch. A white tarp was hung around one half of the porch.

"Oh. Haven's finest," said Dominic, emerging from behind the tarp. "You know, I could add 'ass' to that. 'Haven's finest ass.' And it would still work. For both of you. Just in different ways. You guys want something to drink? Beer? Wine?"

"Or you could tell us what's behind the tarp," said Emma.

"Well, that is the essential mystery of life on the water, Officer Petrova. What is behind the tarp? Few ever find out."

"Fine. We have a guy standing on the back of a boat who suffered from some ruler straight injuries."

"Broke both of his legs," Damon added.

"Boom?"

"I don't know what sound it made," said Emma.

"Now I know why you think he's a boat expert," Damon retorted.

"Come on. I was kidding," Emma returned.

"Not a sailboat. Sport fisher. Deep v hull," Damon explained.

"Somebody else's boom. The ocean is a mysterious and dangerous place," Dominic replied.

"Like the tarp," Emma smirked.

"Sure."

"Come on. Just tell us what's behind it."

"Something I'm trying to protect."

"Cause you're a model citizen?"

"I have a code. Which means I don't have to show you. In fact, not showing you will probably be the most fun that I have today." Emma quirked an eyebrow at him. "Alas, I hate to see a beautiful woman suffer. Alex Henson. Town librarian. It's her 80th birthday. Asked me to hide the set-up. I smuggled it. All of it. From Iceland."

"That is really sweet, Dominic."

"So glad we came," said Damon sarcastically.

After receiving a call from dispatch, Damon and Emma left the restaurant for Tradewinds Real Estate.

"Ten years on the job I've never seen anything like it," said a patrol office when the two arrived on the scene.

"Who is that?" Emma asked, pointing to a body underneath a white sheet.

"Joe Santomauro. Real estate agent."

"What happened to him?"

"He's been sliced all the way through. Like a loaf of bread." Suspicious, Emma looked underneath Santomauro's desk and found the same black substance she saw on Wallace.

"Look familiar?"

"What's this have to do with our fractured friend Wallace?" Damon asked.

"Did anyone see what happened?"

"Yeah. Him." The officer pointed to Alec, the deck hand.

The following day, Damon and Emma were getting witness statement from employees of the real estate company.

"So Joe was a successful real estate broker?" Damon asked.

"I don't want to gossip. Joe was a little ethically challenged. Doubled dipped on commissions. When the market contracted, he started working with a less desirable element. Not Tradewinds Real Estate kind of people."

"Well, this Joe sounds like a nice guy," said Emma to Damon after Joe's co-worker left.

"Think he learned his ethics from the same boy scout troop as Wallace? He's been indicted four times. Fraud times two. Tax evasion times two."

"Let's just say Joe did deserve Alec's wrath. We still have ten witnesses that say he never touched him."

"But he was sitting right in front of Joe."

"So what's Alec? A telekinetic vigilante who's hunting down Haven's scum?"

"Doesn't seem like the type."

"No. But then why would Alec place himself at the second crime scene when we've already seen him at the first."

"He wouldn't."

"Unless he can't control himself." Damon and Emma interviewed Alec several minutes later.

"Then Joe just started sliding out of his seat onto the floor like he was getting pulled by something and cut," said Alec.

"What were you doing at Joe's office?" Damon asked.

"I've been trying to sell my house."

"You're moving?" Emma asked.

"No. It just seemed like time to cash out. But Joe didn't get any offers."

"That must have pissed you off. Having a guy that makes that much money not be able to help you out. You're getting a little long in the tooth. How's that retirement plan coming?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you being tired and mad, standing in the middle of two rich guys who took it on the chin yesterday. That's what I'm talking about, Alec."

"I didn't touch anybody. And there are witnesses."

"It must be tough wiping decks for a living, catering to a bunch of rich slobs, and making your daughter give them drinks while they look her up and down…"

"Emma," Damon warned.

"Like a piece of meat," Emma finished.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" Alec yelled, standing up.

"My fault. I'm sorry." A few minutes later, Alec left the police station and Damon walked into his office to scold Emma.

"What if you had gotten him mad and something did happen!" Damon yelled.

"A bucket of cold water. It works on dogs."

"What?"

"He didn't hulk out on us. So obviously he's not our guy."

"Wow. It's damn near scientific!"

"Have you ever had a situation like this before? When Haven was dealing with the Troubles back then?"

"What do you mean?"

"Both of our victims were both real dirt bags. Con artists. So this all thing feels pointed. Like someone's in control of what they're doing."

"Couldn't that be a good thing?"

"Or a very, very bad thing."

"Lab results on that black substance are in. Atomized graphite."

"Graphite? Like a lubricant."

"Willow charcoal and a little clay. It's sketching charcoal." Damon picked up his phone and called the only store that sold graphite and willow charcoal in Haven. "Uh-huh. Thanks, Mary." He hung up. "What do you think about Jimmy?"

"Jimmy?"

"He bought willow charcoal."

"Well, I heard Alec bossing him around on the boat the other day and then barking at him in front of Vicki."

"You think that's reason enough to set up your father-in-law for murder?"

"Maybe, but if Jimmy knows that we're on to him and he's the guy that's doing all this—"

"Telekinetic slicing and breaking of people?"

"Yeah, then he's not exactly the kind of guy that we can just walk on up to and mirandize him."

"No."

"So we need to sneak up on him." Half an hour later, Emma and Damon met with Dominic.

"Now what exactly do you want me to do?" Dominic asked.

"Use your boat to get close to the Endorfin. A police boat is just gonna stick out like a sore thumb," said Emma.

"Hmm. You remember when I asked you to help me with those parking tickets? You turned me down."

"This is more important than parking tickets," said Damon.

"That's a matter of perspective, Damon. Those things get expensive."

"Dominic, seriously, I'm just asking for a favor," said Emma.

"I'm sensing a dangerous trend here. Truth?"

"That would be nice."

"The Endorfin is a high-end fishing charter. It takes out big-ticket customers who want big-ticket items. I can get those things."

"You do business with them?"

"Yeah. In fact I'm getting them a delivery of some very expensive noble grape. Don't worry, Damon. I paid the customs fees."

"And so protecting your business with the owner is more important than helping us?"

"I mean, does it have to be an either/or?"

"Come on. I have another idea," said Damon.

"Good luck."

After setting up a sniper with tranquilizers in the tree line overlooking the Endorfin's dock, Emma and Damon went to talk to Jimmy.

"Hey, Jimmy," Damon greeted.

"Hey."

"What are you doing?" Emma asked.

"What I'm always doing on Captain Richards' boat. I'm making it perfect for his clients."

"That would drive me crazy."

"What?"

"You know, just having to spend the day with a bunch of tourist fat cats telling me what to do. That's not fair."

"Yeah, I know. You wouldn't believe some of their—" Suddenly, Jimmy began gasping for air.

"Jimmy? Jimmy, what's wrong?" Damon asked. Skin began to cover Jimmy's mouth, ears, and eyes.

"Oh, my god," Emma gasped. Quickly, Damon and Emma moved Jimmy to Eleanor's house.

"I'm sorry to bother you. I didn't want to take him to the hospital," said Emma as Eleanor made sure Jimmy was comfortable and sedated.

"Yeah, they wouldn't take him anyway with no health insurance. You did the right thing bringing him here. On some levels, he is the perfect houseguest."

"You can joke about this?"

"I can always joke. How else does one get through a winter in Haven, Maine?"

"It's the Troubles, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Why are they here?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's some kind of cosmic test of our character."

"Well, if this is a test you get an A+ and I get a you suck."

"Well, you're doing fine."

"I am?"

"Yeah."

"Really? Because to be honest with you, I'm kinda freakin'. There is something attacking people intentionally, and it, whatever it is, it knows that I am on to it. And…well, the FBI, they never trained me for the Troubles."

"I suppose not."

"I want to find this thing."

"And?"

"And I want to kick its ass."

After finding out Vicki taught art, Damon and Emma left for the Haven Community Arts Center.

"Can we talk for a minute?" Emma asked Vicki when she opened the door.

"Is this about my father?"

"No. What about your father?"

"Nothing. I, uh, I couldn't reach him earlier. I'm sure he just forgot to charge his cell phone again."

"You're lying."

"Look, I'm in the middle of class."

"We could always ask you to join us at the station, and we could talk there."

"You can't make me go anywhere unless you arrest me."

"Hey, Vicki, if you need some help—"

"If you want to help me, leave me alone. I have to get back to my class." Vicki shut the door.

"Really? 'We can always ask you to join us at the station,'" Damon mocked.

"Real mature. She's worried about her dad. And I'm betting she doesn't know what happened to Jimmy."

"She's definitely hiding something."

"Yeah, well, whatever it is, maybe we can find evidence of it at her house." A few minutes later, they arrived at Vicki's house.

"There's no law against looking in windows. Or against checking for locks," said Emma, looking through the windows.

"Em, look at that," said Damon, looking at the garage.

"Blankets in the windows? Someone is definitely hiding something."

"Looks like somebody trashed the place," said Damon, entering the garage.

"Yeah, that's too bad, 'cause some of these are really good." Suddenly, a vase in the room broke. "Wind."

"Inside? Sure."

"Looks like somebody took these in a hurry."

"Or stole them. Here's a finished one someone forgot. Look familiar?" It was a drawing of Damon. Emma touched the drawing and Damon was propelled into a cabinet. "Damon!"

"I'm okay. I'm okay," he groaned. Emma sighed and called the station.

"Thank you. All right, Vicki just left the school, and I put out an APB. We can arrest her now."

"I agree we should, but for what?"

"Illegal manufacture and use of voodoo drawings. When I touched your image—"

"I was there."

"Right. So I'm guessing that Wallace was folded and Santomauro was shredded."

"And Jimmy got erased?"

"The question is: Where are all the other people that she sketched?"

"Not just people. I stepped on this," said Damon, picking up a drawing of a vase. "The drawings affect things too."

"But why is she scared if she's in control?"

"And why use her drawings to go after Jimmy and a banker and a realtor?"

"Let's ask. The banker's probably conscious now."

"No, wait, wait. I don't want to leave this here unguarded, but I don't want to touch it either," said Damon, looking at his drawing.

"So what do you wanna do?"

"I'll call Settle. Ask him to come watch."

"And are you gonna tell him why?"

"'Cause I think it's really good." Emma rolled her eyes. Later, Emma and Damon entered Wallace's hospital room.

"If you're lawyers from the boat company, save your breath unless you've got a 30 mil settlement in your pocket," said Wallace.

"We're cops," Damon replied.

"You figure out what happened to me yet?"

"Yeah. What we wanna know is why?"

"Well, I want to know what first."

"And you're in a hospital bed, attached to tubes. We could leave. Now. Okay, see ya," said Emma.

"I was gonna pay the money I owed."

"To who? Vicki?"

"Vicki? No. Richards."

"Captain Richards?"

"I only owed him 200 large. 300, Whatever. Suddenly he was a maniac about collecting it. Normally he's happy to earn the interest."

"You owed him $300,000 from fishing?"

"No, I owe him 300,000 because of a stupid parlay and the Jets can't make a field goal."

"Whoa, you bet on the Jets?" Emma scoffed.

"What about Joe Santomauro? Did he owe Richards money too?" Damon asked.

"Probably. I saw him out there a few times. Worst poker player ever. But I think they had a real estate deal cooking. Based on what I heard about Joe, guessing it went south."

"So the Endorfin's more than just a fishing charter?" Emma asked.

"Oh, he's fishing. For guys like me. Rich enough to have a couple of drinks and get in hock with him."

"Vicki is muscle for Richards?" Emma whispered to Damon.

"Let's go ask why. Patrol car spotted her."

"What about me?"

"You got involved with the wrong kinda people," said Emma before leaving.

"Like I don't know that."

Later, Emma and Damon found Vicki near a building by the bay.

"Hey, Vicki. Why are you drawing that?" Emma asked.

"It's pretty."

"No, that's not why. We know what you can do."

"And we know you're working for Richards," Damon added.

"I'm sorry, I have no idea what you're talking—"

"No, what we don't know is why you drew Jimmy," said Emma.

"Jimmy? Is he okay?"

"He's okay."

"I don't want to do this. I tried to stop."

"So why don't you?"

"My dad. Richards, he has my dad hostage. A few days ago, I went down to the boat to sketch. I used to like sketching. There was a seal on the pier. I drew it, gave it to Richards. He crumpled it. We both saw what happened."

"And he figured out what your sketches could do," said Damon.

"He came to see me the next day and said that my dad had been gambling on his boat, owed a lot of money, that he'd be working for free forever, but that I could help pay off my dad's debt by giving him some sketches. He was only gonna use them to pressure people. I know how hard my dad works."

"So you drew."

"Yes, but when Richards started hurting people, I told him I wouldn't do it anymore. So he got mad. He grabbed my dad and told me that if I didn't draw this place by 5:00, he was gonna kill him."

"Why this place?" Damon asked.

"I know he tried to buy it recently."

"Well, that would explain why he tried to collect all that money so suddenly from Wallace," said Emma.

"And why Joe Santomauro, his real estate agent, got punished when he couldn't make the deal happen."

"So if Richard can't buy this place."

"He's gonna use her drawings to destroy it."

"All right, why didn't you just draw a picture of Richards?"

"I did. But the only sketch that works is the first one I draw. Richards has the one I did of him hidden on that boat."

"And why did you draw Jimmy?" Emma asked.

"I drew him before I knew any of this was happening. I drew half the town. When Richards came and took my dad, he took all of my sketches."

"If he has all the sketches, he could hurt someone before we take him down."

"Not just someone. He has a landscape that I did from up on King's point." Damon groaned.

"Hello? Out-of-towner. What's King's Point?" Emma asked.

"It's the lookout spot. You can see the whole town from up there. Remember the vase?" Damon asked.

"I'd better call for backup."

An hour later, Dominic arrived at Captain Richards' boat.

"Permission to come aboard," said Dominic, carrying a box.

"Dom. What are you bringing me?"

"I have got a lovely '68 chateau la tour. Old-growth vines. Unfortunately for them but fortunately for us, it disappeared from a French farmer's cellar after he croaked."

"And how'd you get it?"

"Excuse me?"

"What?"

"I just thought that we kind of agreed if we were gonna do business, we wouldn't ask a lot of questions."

"That's exactly why I like dealing with you. How's three grand sound?"

"Uh, five sounds better."

"And four gets her done?"

"Yes, it does. Keep it cool. Hate to blow 40 years in a cellar."

"You know, I think things are really gonna start picking up for me. Could probably do a lot more business if you're interested."

"Oh, I'm always interested."

"All righty then. Hmm. I have company." Dominic turned and saw the car. It was Emma's. "You know them?"

"Uh, yeah, unfortunately, I do. It would probably be better for both of us if they didn't see me here."

"Okay. Put these in the cold box below."

"All right," said Dominic as he entered the cabin.

"Vicki, detectives," Richards greeted.

"We know what you did to Wallace and Santomauro," said Damon.

"I'm sorry? What?"

"We want to make a deal," said Emma.

"Vicki, you got an agent. I'm a businessman. what deal?"

"You give us all her pictures and we won't shoot you."

"She's not very good. She should know knowledge is power. And she should know that I hold all the cards." Richards pulled out the sketch of the town. "Hmm? Now you give me what I asked for, and you two go away. Or better yet, Vicki, draw them."

"You're not hearing me," said Emma.

"No. You're not hearing me." He tapped his finger on the church steeple and it was destroyed right before the officers' eyes. "You hearing me now? You really think you can kill me before I crumple this, destroy the whole town?"

"No." Suddenly, Richards head moved from side to side as he was punched. Damon recovered the picture of the town while Dominic walked out of the cabin of the boat with the sketch of Richards.

"Hey, this really works."

"What took you so long?" Emma asked Dominic.

"I'm sorry. But it takes me a second to pick a safe."

"Well, that's a shock."

"Besides, I had to pry open a door to get that guy out," said Dominic as Alec ran off the boat to hug his daughter. "I don't want this anymore. I'm not digging what it does." Richards lunged for the picture, but it fell into the water. As Damon tried to retrieve the picture, Richards drowned.

That evening, Emma dropped off Vicki's sketches at Eleanor's.

"Here, I thought you might like these," said Emma.

"Ooh, these aren't decorations."

"God, no."

"Well, good, 'cause, you know, I got a kinda funky mexican farmhouse thing going on. I don't want it to clash. I'll be extra careful with these. Jimmy's recovering. He looks pretty good."

"Yeah, he had a little help from his fiancée. Do you think he's going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I do. Emma, you kicked its ass." Emma smiled before leaving.


	7. Nothing Left Here To Burn

After finding out the woman in the Colorado Kid article was named Lucy Ripley and the boy that she was with was Dominic, Emma had run into too many dead ends with the mystery involving her mother. When Emma came into work with Damon that morning, a report that the principal of the high school's car exploded was all over the police radios.

"Cars explode and the fire department investigates. Not us," said Emma.

"Unless there's foul play," Damon countered.

"Okay. No one says foul play anymore. Look. I'm sorry, but I don't see anything that's suspicious."

"I'd have to agree," said Eleanor walking into their office.

"Hey, Eleanor," Emma smiled.

"Preliminary findings. No injuries consistent with being inside a really raucous explosion."

"Which bothers me. Cars don't just explode," said Damon.

"Okay. See, I'm the one who's usually asking all the questions, but I just don't see anything here," Emma replied, leafing through the M.E.'s file.

"Well, I would like to ask around if that's okay with you."

"Yeah. No. Feel free."

"We could talk to her co-workers. Or not. Thank you, Eleanor." The doctor nodded and left.

"Do you want to get some coffee?" Emma asked.

"You could use some. Just black for me. I think I'm done with the fancy stuff."

"Great. High five for the real thing. It's on me." They high fived as Emma left the room. Damon exhaled as he felt her touch.

Later that day, Emma and Damon were called to the community swimming pool.

"New one, even for me. Kid was boiled," said Eleanor.

"Boiled?"

"Yeah, boiled, Damon. Not quite falling off the bone, but close enough. No other trauma. Two deaths now in one day."

"We need to start with the pool heater," said Emma.

"Because there's any chance that it could crank out enough power to heat all this water up to a boil?" Damon asked.

"No, because we need to be able to say in the report that we did. Now, we both know that Eleanor's right. This is not natural. Like the car thing this afternoon. High school principal, high school student. We have a connection."

"Guess I know what we're doing tomorrow."

"Yeah, I guess so. I'll go ahead and do research. You can take witnesses."

"Deal."

"Deal."

The next day, Damon was interviewing witnesses.

"So there was a woman near the pool before Xander's death. Did you see her?"

"Like I told the other cop, I didn't really see her," said the witness as Dominic walked into the police station.

"Kind of busy here, Dominic," Damon muttered.

"You say that as if I come here looking for you ever. Where's Emma?"

"Working a case, also busy."

"She really doesn't know how to cancel appointments, does she?"

"Find someone else to pal around with."

"That's a fine idea, detective. I'm sorry to interrupt. Is it weird to hook up with your old babysitter?"

"You're kidding, right?"

"No."

"I don't have time for this. The sketch artist is down from Portland. Do you mind?"

"Hey, kid, what do you think?"

"Hot," replied the witness.

"Exactly. Right. You?" Dominic asked turning to a man sitting beside the witness.

"Go," said Damon. Dominic then realized the woman the sketch artist had been drawing was his old baby sitter.

"I'm off like a dirty shirt." A few minutes later, Emma walked out of her office and looked at the sketch that had been drawn.

"Is that her?"

"Yeah, the witnesses have been collaborating on an image," Damon answered.

"I spent a half an hour with her and Dominic yesterday. That's Vanessa Stanley."

"She called 911 after Manning's car exploded. I've been trying to reach her all day. But if you met with her at noon and she blows a car up at 4:00, that's quite a coincidence."

"I was meeting with Vanessa because she was at the scene of a very mysterious death twenty-seven years ago. And suddenly we have her at the scene of two other mysterious deaths?"

"Hmm, suddenly it doesn't sound like such a coincidence."

"Let's go pick her up."

Half an hour later, the two detectives were at Vanessa's house.

"Police, open up!" Damon yelled, knocking on the door. "Pol—"

"I heard you the first time," said Dominic, opening the door.

"Dominic?"

"Hi, Emma. How are you?"

"Vanessa!" Damon yelled.

"She's not home," said Dominic.

"Wait, is she the babysitter you were talking about?"

"I don't appreciate the judgy-ness. Come in. I came here looking for her, and she was gone. And I found all this." Drawings and notes were taped all over the room.

"So you just let yourself in?" Damon asked.

"Yeah, call a cop. She came by the Gull earlier. We were talking and…"

"You saw the sketch. you tipped her off."

"You want to arrest me, or you want to let me talk?"

"Vanessa, the Gull, then what?" Emma asked.

"As I was saying, we were at the Gull. We were talking. Somehow she found out about the sketch. I don't know. And then she freaked out, all right? She took off. That was a few hours ago. She wouldn't answer my calls, so I came here to check on her, and I found all this. I mean, it's nonsense. It's descriptions of explosions and guns. It's all pretty freaky."

"It's kind of manic," Damon agreed.

"Yeah. Wait. Look at this. Those names that are crossed off, that's the two people that died yesterday. This a hit list?" Emma asked.

"A hit list? Vanessa? You did meet her, right?" Dominic asked.

"You knew her, what, twenty seven years ago? Your babysitter. You know, people change," said Damon.

"You didn't."

"Okay, Matt. Matt, next on the list. Ring any bells?" Emma asked.

"There was a Matt at the pool when Sander died. Matt West. He's a student. He was on my witness list."

"All right, let's get to him before she does."

A few minutes later, Damon, Emma, and Dominic arrived near Matt's house and saw Vanessa in her car.

"Police! Let me see your hands," Damon ordered as he pointed his gun at her.

"Get out of the car. Slowly," Emma added.

"Don't do this," said Vanessa.

"Vanessa, don't do anything stupid," Dominic warned.

"You don't understand. There's going to be an explosion."

"Does it have anything to do with this?" Emma asked, pulling the list of names out of her pocket.

"Yes. No! Look, there's only a few minutes to save Matt." Vanessa grimaced in pain. "Don't touch me. Don't touch me. You've got to stop it. There's a propane tank. It's gonna explode." Damon and Dominic saw the grill behind the house and threw it into the pool just before it exploded. Later, the detectives had taken Vanessa back to her house and she explained her abilities.

"How did you know?" Emma asked.

"I see things. I see the last things people see before they die. They're just fragments. I try to stop them from happening, but no matter what I try, the people keep dying."

"Okay, so what about the list?"

"A disaster is coming. All those people are gonna die. I just haven't figured out what happens to them. Earlier this morning, I touched a mirror. I saw my own death. Nothing has changed about the image. The disaster still comes. And I still die in it."

"You looked like you were in pain before that tank exploded."

"The pain comes and goes. It's worst right before somebody dies. It started yesterday afternoon. I was feeling sick. And Carlene came in and found me, and she touched me. And I saw what was gonna happen. And it was the same thing with Xander. And all those people at the bar yesterday. I saw so many of them dying at the same time."

"You know, you could've come to us for help."

"I wanted to. I even went to the police station, but I was afraid that you would assume I was to blame."

"No, we would've listened to you," said Damon.

"Yeah? And then what? Locked her up?" Dominic asked.

"God, it doesn't matter. It's fate. I can't change anything. All I have to do is watch. I can't change anything."

"Hey, we just did, at the party just now," said Emma. "We can make our own fate. We can stop this. And we will."

"This is about Phil Banks here," said Vanessa, picking up a piece of paper. "He's the lumber guy at the hardware store. He's lying on the ground, or may-maybe it's a floor, and he's looking under something, and the fire comes rushing at him."

"You describe it very clearly," said Damon.

"Soldiers, guns. What, are the Canadians finally invading?" Dominic joked.

"Okay, you know what? Here's one. Man on fire burning from inside. You think he's the cause of all this?" Emma asked.

"Yes. that I'm sure of. Emma, can I speak with you a moment? Privately?"

"Yeah." The two walked outside onto the back porch.

"You came to see me the other day because of the Colorado Kid photo, and I told you that I didn't remember anything, because I didn't. But it started to come back to me."

"You remember that morning?"

"I remember something. I remember that this isn't the first time this has happened to me. I was there that day because I'd seen how he was going to die. After you visited me, I was upset, and it just started to come back to me."

"Vanessa, when Troubled people get upset, the shock it triggers their affliction. I'm really sorry. I feel like this is all my fault. I-if I hadn't visited you, you wouldn't be suffering like this."

"God wouldn't have given me this terrible gift for no reason at all. I'm supposed to do something to save people. There's always a price for that. Do you want to hear about my vision from that day, the day the Colorado Kid died?"

"Yeah. Yeah, if you can tell me, yeah."

"There was a hand. Coming right at me, at his face. It was a pale arm. A man's arm with a tattoo of some kind inside the forearm. I'm sorry. That's, uh- that's all I remember."

"Well, that's great. That's more than I had five minutes ago."

Inside the house, Damon and Dominic were mulling over the multiple sheets of paper.

"I don't get this. All she can see is a textured red wall. What is that?" Damon asked.

"Life is random. Now, we try to convince ourselves that this little movie we call life has a plot. But it's not a movie," Dominic replied.

"Yes, it is. That's exactly what it is. Emmy! Get in here!" The girls walked into the room. "It's a movie. This whole thing, everything takes place in a movie."

"That's where the war images come from."

"But I think it's outdoors, not in a theater," said Vanessa.

"Dockside Green," muttered Dominic and Damon simultaneously.

"What's dockside green?" Emma asked.

"Bunch of kids have been screening movies there lately."

"Yeah, they, uh- they put up a big screen, charge a buck, show movies. People bring picnic stuff, blankets," Dominic added.

"Okay, wait, wait. Matt West, okay, he's part of the group that show the movies, right? They let him in because he knows how to run the equipment," said Vanessa.

"Matt West. He was at the school. He was at the pool," said Damon.

"And the backyard party. That's it. he's our common thread. Great. We just saved a killer," Emma groaned.

A few minutes later, darkness had fallen over Haven when Damon, Emma, Dominic, and Vanessa arrived at Dockside Green.

"So now what, chase everyone out?" Dominic asked.

"Well, I think the rain's gonna do that for us," Emma answered. "I don't see him up at the projector."

"Let's split up. Dom, come with me. You're tall and loud," said Damon.

"That was almost a compliment. Be careful."

"What do you know about this kid?" Emma asked Vanessa.

"Well, he's a Troubled kid. His temper gets the best of him. You know, I think he tries, but for every step forward he takes, something makes him lose his cool, and he self-destructs."

"Great, a Troubled misfit. Perfect." Vanessa grimaced in pain.

"Got to hurry. It's coming." Suddenly an explosion of fire occurred and the movie goers screamed and ran away.

"Matt West, I'm a police officer. I need to talk to you. You need to come down right now!" Emma yelled as she pulled Matt off the ladder that led up to the projector.

"Let go of me! Leave me alone!"

"You did that, Matt, and you need to make it stop."

"What are you talking about?"

"People have the ability to do things, unusual things, and we think that you can heat things up, catch them on fire."

"The Troubles? You mean I did that?"

"Yes, you did that. You blew up the principal's car, and you killed Xander in that pool."

"This is awesome."

"No, Matt, you have a choice, all right? This is not awesome. This is murder."

"Oh, yeah? Prove that in court. Leave me alone." He burns Emma and she let him go. "Damnit."

"I'm not gonna let this happen," said Vanessa.

"Vanessa, no!" Another burst of fire flared up, knocking Vanessa to the ground.

"Matt, stop this. We will shoot," said Damon as he and Emma pointed their guns at them.

"No, you won't." He heated their guns up and Emma dropped hers.

"Mother…Damon, put it down. It's burning."

"A gun's not really fair, is it? That-that didn't- that didn't hurt, did it?" Matt asked.

"Actually, no. But you are starting to piss me off," Damon growled.

"Damon, stop. I think I have a way to take him down. Just hold on."

"Oh, you're- you're-you're gonna try to fight me? That'd be stupid!"

"Look at you mister big bad guy now, talking smack to the cops like he's all tough. The gun isn't really fair is it? Oh, you actually think that we're afraid of you?"

"You should be." Another explosion occurred.

"Oh yeah that?" Emma scoffed. "That's supposed to scare us, right? 'Cause you're all big and powerful? You know, whatever. Come on, Damon. I don't have time for this lame-ass bad guy."

"Hey! Hey, you can't walk away from me! You don't go till I say so!"

"You sure about this?" Damon whispered to Emma as they began to walk away.

"Trust me."

"Screw you! You can't talk to me like that! I'll burn your ass!" Matt yelled.

"Loser," Emma drawled.

"Aah!" Matt yelled as he blew up in a fit of rage.

"He's gone," said Damon.

"I killed him?" Emma asked, not turning around.

"No. You saved everyone else." As sirens approached, Dominic was with Vanessa.

"Hey. Hey, you hear that? You're gonna be just fine."

"I'm not," she replied weakly. "It's okay. I don't want to- I don't want to live with this gift."

"You don't get to just give up. There is no fate."

"Yeah, Dom, there is. Do you want to know what I saw about you?" He nodded. She whispered her vision to him and a tear fell down his cheek.

Later that night, Damon and Emma were having drinks with Dominic at The Grey Gull.

"This is all my fault," said Emma.

"You can't blame yourself," Damon replied.

"Vanessa is dead because I triggered her affliction."

"And all those people are alive."

"Yeah, but how did we know that they weren't gonna die anyway?"

"You can go crazy trying to explain fate, looking for the secret reasons why things happen- waste of time. You never know if you're right. Screw fate."

"Agreed."

"I'm sorry about Vanessa," Emma said to Dominic. "What did she tell you?"

"Oh, well, she told me what every man secretly wants to know. How he is going to die. Fantastic, right? Except she couldn't help with the when. The how yes, but the when not so much."

"How do you die?"

"Well, apparently, some guy with a tattoo of a maze with four little people at each of the compass points grabs my face with his hand."

"Wait a second. Vanessa- she had a vision of the Colorado Kid before he died, and it was of this man's hand, and it was coming towards him." Damon drew a picture of the tattoo on a napkin.

"Like this?" he asked.

"How did you know what that looks like?"

"We found it on a body about a month ago."

"Well, if he's dead, then he can't kill me, right? What? What, there's more than one guy out there with the same tattoo?"

"We know of at least one, but there could be more," Emma admitted.

"Well, then that's too bad for them, because I'm gonna find them first. Looks like we're on the same team."


	8. Storm

"Do we really have a skeleton inside a wrecked boat? Is there going to be an eye patch or a dead parrot?" Emma asked as she exited Damon's truck.

"That's life on a seaside police force. What? Do you miss the FBI already?"

"No. Just hope we get a treasure chest."

"We used to have pirates up here. Big enough storms who knows what you'll get. Sea holds all kinds of secrets."

"Think we're going to be able to I.D. the remains?"

"Hope so. There were at least five men on board when she went down."

"At least five?"

"James Garrick and Andy Weaver, the boat's owners, they vanished after she was lost. Presumed dead but nobody knows for sure if they were on board or not."

"Sounds suspicious."

"Yeah. James was a drinker. A lot of people blamed him afterwards. Especially, Andy's wife, Vera."

"Okay. Let's go find out if they were right," said Emma as they walked onto a boat banked on the beach. After examining the crime scene, Damon and Emma took witness statements at the station.

"Hank Olson. Known for building boats including this one," said Damon.

"So you found the wreck," Emma added.

"Yeah," Hank answered.

"Is there anything here that looks like it might have caused it?" Emma asked.

"Isn't always a reason. Sea takes what she wants."

"Well, that may be, Hank, but we need to know how it happened. Should this be all corroded like this?" Damon asked.

"Anything metal in the water is going to look like that. That don't tell you nothing."

"So you're saying we're not going to find any answers?" Emma asked.

"I think you won't like the ones that you find."

Half an hour later, Emma and Damon were called to the Garrick's house after a strange incident had occurred. Papers had been flying around the room and Vera Weaver had been thrown into a wall.

"Is this James?" Emma asked, looking at a picture. James' wife, Tracy, nodded. "Why does Vera blame James for Andy's death?"

"I blamed Andy. I thought he'd run off, you know? I even said so in public. Andy didn't get away either. Vera's got a right to be mad at me."

"Has anything like this ever happened here before?"

"Not that I know of, but I don't care. I'm done. We're leaving."

"Tracy, you finally have a chance to find out the cause of the wreck," said Damon.

"Is that going to change anything? The way people treat me, the way they treat my kids."

"Your children have been through an awful lot. This home is the last stable thing that they have so why don't you let us look into this before you give up on that," said Emma.

"Tracy, some of the parts we found looked unusually corroded to me. You have any idea where James sourced his materials?"

"Oh. It's a global business these days. Ask your little league buddy. He arranged a lot of it."

"Dominic."

"You and Dominic were in Little League?" Emma asked, her lips slightly upturned. Damon glared at her as they left the house.

"James was our coach one year when he was sixteen. He was good to me…even though I had a lousy throwing arm."

"Had? Yeah, I've seen you throw."

"Funny. I don't know how he even made time. He was holding down three jobs and high school. He got sent home for a month for exhaustion."

"Did you know Tracy too growing up?"

"No. She moved here later. If you're going to ask if her family's had Troubles, I don't know."

"Well, something freaky was clearly going on in there. Because those kids looked scared. What?"

"Andy's body just washed up."

"Oh, so now you're going ghost on me?"

"You were the one talking about dead pirates."

"Well, around here…you never know. We have to do some digging."

Later at the Grey Gull, Emma approached Tracy.

"What happened at your house today...I don't know exactly what caused it, but I think it might have something to do with the Troubles. "

"Troubles. You don't believe it was Andy's ghost?"

"I don't know what I believe yet, but if we're dealing with a haunting, I've been searching for hints. If there was anything that happened at your house or with your family."

"Leave my family out of it."

"These things run in families."

"Not mine."

"They keep these things secrets. Even from each other."

"Secret? People talk about my family night and day in this town. I walk in that dining room and people stop talking or they look at me sideways and smile. You want to know my family's secrets? Ask them!"

A few hours later, Tracy's son, Michael, called Emma. Apparently, another incident had happened and his sister, Brooke, had ran off.

"Michael shouldn't have called you," said Tracy.

"Brooke's boyfriend got hurt and she took off. I think it's a good thing that he did."

"I'm just so tired of everything. I just want to take my kids and go."

"First things first."

"I don't know what I can tell you."

"What do you know about poltergeists?"

"Like the movie?"

"Sort of. They're associated with emotional turbulence. Often a child. Objects will move around."

"You think…Brooke?"

"She was there both times."

"Yeah, uh, she was upset when I was going to work and then Vera came and…Do you know how we can stop it?"

"Well, we need to find her first. Can you think of any place special she might go?"

A half an hour later, Emma located Brooke at a park.

"Did Michael tell you I was here?" Brooke asked.

"He said you used to come here with your father."

"That turned out to be a waste of time."

"You still have a family."

"My family? They're even more messed up than I am."

"I get that your angry. I saw what happened at the house."

"You think I did that?"

"No. I think that you were…"

"Acting out? Please. I'm not a kid."

"I didn't say that."

"No, but you're thinking that I shouldn't be angry."

"No."

"Well, why shouldn't I? He wrecked my entire life."

"Listen. I'm just trying to understand, Brooke. I want to help you. Have you heard of the Troubles?"

"You think I'm one of those freaks?"

"I think there are people just like you and I think maybe you don't even know what you're capable of."

"You think you know me? You don't know me! You have no idea what I would do if I could do that stuff! No idea! But I can't! I'm not one of those freaks! I'm nobody!" Brooke cried.

"Alright," said Emma as she hugged the young girl. "It's okay. I know. It's okay."

The next morning, Emma received a call from Tracy while Damon was out hunting down Dominic.

"Michael had some kind of seizure last night after you called," said Tracy when Emma arrived at the Garrick residence.

"His father was Troubled wasn't he?"

"James had them too when he was a boy. Almost killed him."

"When was this? Around 1983?"

"His parents were desperate. There was a woman who helped him."

"Was her name Lucy? Lucy Ripley?"

"Yeah. Did you know her?"

"I think she might be my mother. So she helped him?"

"He said she helped him hold himself together till his problem passed. Until last night I had no idea he meant that literally. Can you help Michael? Will you?"

"I can try. Seems to be in the family business."

Meanwhile, Damon found Dominic finishing a deal with a customer near the beach.

"James Garrett's boat washed up on the beach this morning. I think shoddy materials took her down," said Damon after Dominic's customer left.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Sorry because you sold them the parts?"

"Because it's a tragedy, Damon. I sold them non-essential parts. James was a friend."

"Where'd he get the bad parts?"

"You've talked to any of James' men?"

"Yeah. Hank Olsen was poking around the wreck."

"Covering his ass. You're looking for Sal and Nancy Fortuna. East Haven Metalworks."

"You know them?"

"Hank was pushing James and Andy to go work with them. The Fortunas cut a lot of corners. This won't be the only wreck you can tie to them."

"Why would James and Andy trust them?"

"They trusted Hank. I'm sure he got some kind of cut from the Fortunas for steering them their way."

"If he knew what they were doing, he'll get a cut of their prison time too."

At the Garrick house, Emma was talking with Michael in James' study.

"My dad said it might happen. It's like a sickness certain people in our family get."

"What did he tell you?"

"Just that it's like being out of control. Of everything. Like your body's moving a thousand directions at once."

"Is that what it felt like?"

"It felt like my mom holding onto me was the only thing that kept me here."

"Have you ever felt like that before? With Vera or Jake?"

"No."

"Don't worry, Michael. You can tell me."

"I didn't. I didn't push, Mrs. Weaver." Suddenly, a book flew across the room. "I didn't do that."

"Listen, Michael, I know that you're just protecting your family, okay…" Emma then realized something. "Hey, Michael, do me a favor. Can you go find your mom? I need a few minutes." Michael nodded and left the room, closing the door. "You're here, aren't you? You're just trying to protect your family." A coffee mug was thrown against the wall. Emma sensed a presence and grabbed a hold of James Garrick, who suddenly became corporeal.

"You haven't changed, Lucy."

"Lucy was my mother. Can you tell me about her?"

"Tell my wife that I'm here. I've been trying to let her know for months, but it's so hard to touch anything. When I do…"

"You're not dead. You're just moving so fast…you're vibrating, but it's sped up. That's why we can't see you. Everything that you touch…"

"Accelerates. If I don't go right through them. It's taking more out of me."

"What about Vera and Jake?"

"I never meant to hurt them."

"It's okay. It's alright. You were just protecting your family. How did you survive the wreck?"

"I was never on the boat."

"Huh?"

"Michael's project. He had taken pictures of the boat. Some of the parts showed signs of stress that should have never been deforming."

"Bad parts."

"I was furious. The boat was due to go out the day I discovered it."

"You had a seizure."

"I shouted. Nobody heard. I couldn't stop them."

"You've been here surrounded by your family, not able to talk to them or touch them."

"I tried. The first night Tracy was in the bed, looking at the photos from our honeymoon, a trip to Nova Scotia. She was crying. I couldn't touch her." As Michael entered the room with his mother, James disappeared.

"Tracy can I talk to you for a minute?" Emma asked. They both walked out.

"What is going on in this house?" Tracy asked.

"Alright, this is going to sound strange."

"It's about Michael."

"No. It's about James."

"James?"

"He's alive and he's here in the house."

"What?"

"He's been trying to communicate with you."

"Is this fun for you? James is dead."

"The night he vanished you were looking at pictures from your honeymoon…that you took to Nova Scotia. You were crying on the bed and he wanted to reach out to you."

"That's not possible."

"He had a seizure and it changed him. He is still here."

"You saw him?"

"I touched him."

"Can I?"

"I think so," said Emma as her phone began to ring. "I'm sorry. This is my husband. I have to take this. Damon?"

"Hank Olsen was a part of this."

"A part of what?"

"Hank hooked James up with an outfit called East Haven Metalworks. Sal and Nancy Fortuna. Dominic thinks they're responsible for any number of wrecks."

"Well, if Hank's in on this he would have warned them."

"And they'll be desperate to destroy anything that links them."

"I'm sending units after Hank. I'll meet you at the boatyard in a few minutes."

"I'll do you one better. James had a home office. I'll start there." Emma walked into the office and began looking through a series of files. "James, I know you kept everything, but did you have to keep everything. This is impossible." Emma heard a loud crash and drew her gun. She opened the door and cautiously walked out into the hallway. She saw two people in the kitchen with guns, holding Tracy and her children hostage. "You must be the Fortunas."

"Nobody wants anything bad to happen to anybody," said Sal.

"Should have thought of that before you cut corners on the metalwork."

"I'll remember that for next time," Nancy replied.

"You. Said you took pictures. Where are they? Show me," said Sal as everyone walked into James' study. Suddenly, Michael began to have a seizure.

"What's going on? Is he epileptic?" Nancy asked.

"That's not epilepsy," said Sal. Emma tried to hold Michael together and Sal threw her foot out from under her. "Give me the gun." She handed it over and kept Michael together. "What the hell was that?"

"Please I have to get him to a doctor," said Tracy.

"Just let them go. You can keep me. What are you going to do! Shoot four people! What does that really solve?" Emma asked.

"There's no way but forward," said Nancy.

"What do you mean?" Sal asked.

"Place could burn down."

"Like a gas leak?"

"Sure. It'll take care of all those papers and the witnesses."

"Hank must have really scared you to get you to come down here so fast. What's he going to do? Have you cover up his mess?" Emma asked.

"Stay where you are," said Sal.

"He cover up your other wrecks like this? Cause you're not doing a very good job of staying on top of this one."

"Don't worry. Honey, fire always does the trick," said Nancy. Emma put her hands around James' shoulders. He solidified and pushed Sal and Nancy into bookshelf, knocking them unconscious. He then disappeared. Later, an ambulance was taking Sal and Nancy away.

"We've got Hank in custody," said Damon on the phone.

"Yeah. I'll meet you at the station," said Emma before she hung up and turned to Tracy. "Okay. So, both of their shoulders are shattered. They're going to be spending a lot of time in the prison hospital."

"I don't really care about them. Can you…get him?"

"I can try." Emma kneeled on the floor and put her hands around James' body. He appeared.

"James," Tracy gasped.

"I'm so sorry, baby."

"All that matters now is that you're back."

"I'm not back. You'll never know what it took to come back this time. It took everything I have."

"So…tomorrow you'll recover."

"No. When I'm gone this time, there's no coming back. I'm all used up." The family cried. "I love you so much, Trace. I always will. All of you."

"I'm sorry, Daddy," Brooke cried.

"You can't go," Michael insisted.

"Michael, I'm not going anywhere. See that bell over there. That was from my first ship and when that starts ringing that'll be me. I'll always be here with you even though you won't be able to see me." James then turned to Emma. "Thank you. It's the second time you've brought me back. All those years ago."

"No. That was my mother, but I'm sure she was glad to help."

"I did my best to make her regret it. When I had my seizure, I shattered a glass. It cut her deep on the sole of her foot, but she kept holding on anyhow until I was safe. I was hoping I'd get to say thanks. It's happening. Goodbye." James then disappeared.

Later at the docks, Emma looked out over the water. She sat down on the rocks and took off her boot and sock. She looked at the sole of her foot and saw a deep jagged scar on the skin.


	9. Black Hearts

"I was here. Somehow I was…here," said Emma to herself as she looked out across the Haven bay. She then looked up into the sky. "Anything else you want to send my way! Anything at all? Cause I've got to believe you've got nothing left."

"Whatever it is you'll handle it," said an older man, walking up to her.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"Whatever you're dealing with you'll figure it out. I've been in some rough places. Had a few conversations with myself. Eventually, I got where I needed to be."

"And where's that?"

"Where I'm standing. It's always where I'm standing."

"This place mean something to you?"

"Sometimes you leave a mark where you've been. Sometimes the tide just washes it away, but you don't know until you come back, do you?"

"You from around here?"

"Once upon a time. Good luck." An hour later, Emma was called into the office. Apparently, the Haven lighthouse had fallen apart. She and Damon had been assigned the case.

"We know why the lighthouse fell. It was a crack. Like the cracks that have been all over Haven since the day I arrived," Emma sighed as Damon placed pushpins on a map.

"We have a crack here in the road, crack on Dominic's boat, crack at the hotel on Carpenter's Knot. What do you think?" Damon turned around and realized Emma was staring off into space. "Emma? Hello? Anybody home?"

"I'm sorry. What?" Emma asked, returning to reality.

"What's going on with you?"

"Nothing. I'm fine."

"No, you're not. What's going on?"

"I haven't been sleeping."

"You slept pretty well last night," he smirked. Emma rolled her eyes in response. "Why don't you go home?"

"Seriously?"

"You don't want to talk about it. I get that. Go. I can handle stuff here."

"No. That doesn't work for me. Work works for me." Damon took her hand and kissed it.

"Please. For me. Go. Sleep. Think. Put on some tunes." Emma laughed and kissed him.

"For you." Emma then left the police station. A few minutes later, Damon entered his father's office.

"Chief, I need your signature on…"

"Don't you knock anymore!"

"The door was open." Damon then noticed an old file on his father's desk. "Max Hansen? He didn't make parole did he?"

"Don't concern yourself with that. Just get down and check out those cracks opening, will you?"

The next day after receiving a frantic call from Dominic, Emma went down to The Grey Gull. She saw the man she'd met by the bay, a man she'd found out from Damon was named Max Hansen.

"I know you. Max Hansen," said Emma.

"Nice to see you again," he replied.

"Heard you visited a friend of mine."

"I've visited a number of old friends recently."

"Dominic Vargas. He owns this place."

"Yeah, yeah. I heard he was impressive."

"Was he?"

"That remains to be seen. I came here hoping to run into him actually."

"He said that you had a tattoo."

"Several."

"This one was on the inside of your forearm in the shape of a maze."

"Would you like something to eat?"

"You either tell me or don't, but don't play games with me." Suddenly, a waitress spilled coffee on Max.

"Oh my God! Let me get a towel," said the waitress as Emma saw the tattoo.

"Clumsy me. Good thing they serve cold coffee here. You'll have to excuse me. I have to get to church," replied Max.

"You killed the Colorado Kid," said Emma.

"Giuseppe Salvatore thought so. He never proved it though did he? See you around." A few minutes later, Emma met with Dominic by the bar.

"What the hell does this tattoo mean? Why is this guy trying to kill me?" Dominic asked.

"Do you remember anything from the Colorado Kid? Anything could help me."

"I wish I did, but I don't."

"Dominic, I spilled coffee all over him. The pot was scalding hot. If he sues us, am I fired?" the waitress asked.

"Don't you have customers?" Dominic then looked at Emma who seemed to have realized something. "What? What is it?"

"The pot was scalding hot and he didn't feel it. He didn't feel." Dominic's eyes widened in shock. Later, Damon was measuring a crack in a field. When he walked to his truck, he saw Max in the cab.

"Can I help you?" Damon asked.

"Damon Salvatore."

"Who are you?"

"Right. No flinching. I knew I'd like you."

"I'm flattered. Who are you?"

"I'm an old friend of the Chief's."

"You're Max Hansen."

"Smart too. I just came by to say hello. I don't want no trouble," said Max as he gripped Damon's shoulder.

"If you don't take your hand off my shoulder, you're going to get a ride back to Shawshank Prison. Or a bullet."

"Damn. You can't feel that at all can you?"

"You really don't want to stay in Haven."

"Oh, but I do. I have friends here, Damon. The one thing I learned is prison is that if a man has the right kind of friends, life gets a whole lot easier. You remember that." Max then left. Meanwhile, at the docks, Dominic and Emma were meeting with one of Dominic's contacts.

"So tell me Leo. Max Hansen. Do you know him?" Dominic asked.

"Spent ten years in the same cell block. Why?"

"You know where he got his tattoos?" Emma asked.

"No. But I didn't see him get any when I was in with him."

"What else? What was he like? What did he do?" Dominic asked.

"Max did the fights. He was the best. It was like he couldn't feel the hits."

"Do you know why he may have come back to Haven?" Emma asked.

"He always wanted to track down some long lost family when he got out." Dominic and Emma then left Leo.

"Are you sure you want to tell Damon alone?" Dominic asked.

"No. But he's my husband and I love him. I should be the one to tell him."

"Did you tell him about the other thing?"

"What?"

"The thing that's got you twisted in knots." Emma looked away. "I didn't think so. Hey. Come on. What is it? You're a mess."

"I can't."

"Because you have to tell Damon first."

"Yeah. Pretty much." Half an hour later, Emma met with Damon in their office.

"Damon, we need to talk. I found out something about Max Hansen," said Emma.

"What's up?"

"He can't feel anything."

"How do you know this?" Damon asked, shell shocked.

"It doesn't matter."

"How do you know?" Damon repeated.

"It doesn't matter. You have the same affliction. Which probably means…"

"We're related." Damon stormed into his father's office. "Did you forget to tell me something about Max Hansen!"

"What?" Giuseppe asked.

"You put him away! You know everything about him and you tell me don't concern yourself!"

"Can you give us a minute, Emma?"

"You can say it in front of her!"

"You found out that he can't feel anything? So you know. That you're…related. I wanted to tell you."

"That I have relatives in Haven that I didn't even know about."

"I'm not your father, Damon. Max Hansen is your father. Are you going to say something?"

"Can't say I'm surprised."

"You mean you knew?"

"This? No! But you…there are so many things you don't tell me. Secrets that you don't trust me with. Why should one more surprise me?" Damon then walked out.

"I wanted to tell him for so long," said Giuseppe to Emma. "I just thought I'd wait a while and hopefully things would get better between us. It'd be easier to tell him and I won't lose him, but now…things never got better and I've lost him anyways."

"Max Hansen let you adopt his son?"

"He was already inside anyway. The way he treated Damon's mother…the way he treated that little boy…I should have killed him then. He does not deserve a place in Damon's life."

"Guess Hansen thought otherwise. Maybe that's why he came back."

"I don't know what's in that man's head." An hour or so later, Emma and Damon both heard the news that Hansen was dead, having fallen into one of the cracks popping around the town.

"Dominic. Let's find him. Max threatened him right," said Damon as they left the crime scene.

"No. Max threatened you too."

"So you think I killed him?"

"No! I'm saying that Dominic went out of his way to help me deal with Max."

"To protect himself."

"No! To protect you! He wanted me to be the one to tell you about your father, okay? I don't think he would do something like this."

"There were cracks on Dominic's boat. There were cracks at the hotel on Carpenter's Knot. Dominic was there. Maybe he's playing nice, but he's still a suspect." Half an hour later, Emma and Damon found Dominic sitting on the porch of the Grey Gull with a shotgun.

"Hear you're afraid of Max Hansen," said Damon.

"Screw it. Normally, I'd try to act all manly, but yeah, I'm terrified. Why do you ask?"

"It'd make it a lot easier on you if he was dead, wouldn't it?"

"Are you offering?"

"Where were you, Dominic?" Emma asked.

"Did somebody take care of my little problem?"

"Just answer the question."

"They did. Thank you! That is outstanding. So how did he die?"

"He was swallowed by a crack in the ground."

"A crack in the ground. Damon, if I could do that, why would I be out here with a shotgun on my lap?"

"Where were you?" Damon asked.

"I was right here. And with all due respect, Damon, you know I'm not a Troubled person."

"Max Hansen didn't know you. Why'd he come to see you?"

"I have no idea."

"I don't believe you," said Damon as he walked away into the restaurant.

"I don't think that you killed him," Emma said.

"Good. Care to celebrate my continued existence?"

"Just because this guy is dead doesn't mean another guy with the tattoo isn't going to kill you."

"You really are a buzz kill."

"I'm just saying if I were you, I'd be looking into the tattoo and not just worrying about one guy. Especially a dead one." Emma then joined Damon inside the Grey Gull. She pulled out a photo of Hansen and was showing it to the customers.

"This is a long shot," Damon muttered.

"Well, he was here at least once."

"You recognize this guy? Have you seen him?"

"Twice. Once with Emma and the other he was alone," said a waitress.

"What time was this?" Emma asked.

"Not sure. Maybe two or three."

"That's when the light house fell."

"Was he with anyone?" Damon asked.

"Sat at a table next to the Chief."

"Thank you," Emma replied. "Of course. The Chief runs into Max. He gets upset and the lighthouse goes down."

"He got upset on the boat and it cracked."

"He was upset at the hotel and that cracked."

"I found a chasm in the ground near where he goes hunting."

"And he was afraid if you ran into Hansen that he would tell you that he was your father. And when you found out, Hansen was swallowed up by a crack and then he died."

"It's the Chief. It's always the Chief."

Quickly, Emma and Damon made it back to the police station, but Giuseppe was gone.

"Check his calendar."

"Damon, we need to talk about what's going to happen when we find him," said Emma.

"No, we need to find him."

"Yes, we need to find him, but he's your father."

"That's debatable."

"Don't be a jerk. Listen, I know you're angry. I know you hate him and maybe you don't even share the same DNA, but he is your father. He's a Troubled person and I don't think that he killed anyone."

"You can't be sure of that. He's been lying to me since I was a kid."

"Why do you have to be so goddamn stubborn! When we find him, we'll ask him what the hell's been going on! Never mind. You know what I don't even care. You guys are just so messed up…where would he go? You know him better than anyone else." Half an hour later, Damon and Emma found Giuseppe on the beach, holding his gun in his hand.

"Chief?" Damon asked, approaching his Dad.

"I knew you guys would find me eventually."

"And why was that?" Emma asked.

"Because you're good cops. Just a matter of time before you put it all together and figure it out."

"The cracks."

"Not been easy holding it all together. I've tried everything. Drinking, smoking, hell, I even tried going to church."

"But they just got worse."

"Did you kill Max?" Damon asked.

"I guess I did. Was an accident, but that doesn't matter a whole lot. I don't want to say I regret it, because I don't. I hated that man. He's pure evil. But I've figured it out. There's only one way that we're going to make this stop." Giuseppe cocked his gun. "I'm sorry about this, Damon. There's just no simple answers here. I'll destroy this town and you and that's everything I've got. Everything I ever had."

"What are you trying to hold together?" Emma asked.

"Haven, of course. This town. This town is standing on the edge and I'm not sure I can stop it anymore." Cracks began to emanate from the Chief and both detectives stepped back.

"Come on in, Chief. We'll figure this out. Just put the gun down," said Damon.

"It's your town now. I'm sorry I've been so hard on you. I was trying to make you strong. You are now. You're stronger than I am. I'm done. I can't be fixed."

"Yes, you can."

"Still not seeing what's right in front of you. Emma sees what's in front of her. You're not telling me it's all going to be fine are you?"

"Tell him, Emma. Go ahead. Tell him. Tell him!" Damon yelled as the cracks began to become deeper.

"I've been holding it together for such a long time. I was waiting for you, Emma. Be careful. Not everyone's thrilled you're back. I love you, son."

"Dad." Giuseppe pulled the cracks inward and exploded into pieces of rock. A few minutes later, Emma called Vince and Dave to the scene.

"Thank you guys for coming. I didn't know how else to make this private," Emma said.

"Of course. I still can't believe it. Poor Giuseppe," Vince replied.

"Thanks for calling us. We knew Giuseppe was suffering, but not…how's Damon?" Dave asked.

"He's lost two fathers in one day."

"More than someone should have to bear. How can we help?"

"You can gather the evidence so that we can hide it."

"Evidence?" Vince asked.

"She means Giuseppe."

"Oh God."

"If you could just pick up the pieces and put it in this box, so we can hide it," said Emma.

"Of course," Vince replied.

"We've known Giuseppe for over 60 years. It's the least we could do. We'll start. You go see to Damon."

"Thanks. Hey, before the Chief died he said something about people not wanting me here. You have any idea what he was talking about?"

"No. Sorry. Guess we'll never know."

"Yeah, okay," said Emma as she walked away.

"You should tell her what she needs to know before she finds out on her own," said Vince.

"No. We should stay out of this as long as we can. Let it sort itself out."

"You're a fool!"

"Yeah, well, I might be a fool, but we're still alive, aren't we?" Meanwhile, Emma sat down next to Damon on the beach.

"I can't imagine what you're going through right now. I'm sorry, Damon," said Emma.

"You know what I don't understand? Why'd you let him die?"

"What are you talking about?"

"He needed to hear that you could help him. The same words that you have given to every other Troubled person that we have dealt with! But you couldn't give him that?"

"He knew that there was no good answer. He knew more about the Troubles than anyone."

"You need to leave me alone."

"That thing that I've been trying to tell you. Your father knew…"

"Enough. Just go." Heartbroken, Emma left, wiping her tears away.

When Damon returned to the police station that night, he saw the Rev sitting in his father's chair.

"Hello, Damon."

"What the hell are you doing in his chair?"

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"Don't know what you mean."

"Oh yes you do. Your father was a good man, Damon. We need to replace him with an even better one."

"Won't be you."

"But with good friends, the right kind of friends, new Chief of Police could do wonders for this town."

"Friends? You mean thugs like Max Hansen?"

"Don't call your daddy names, Damon."

"I called my father the Chief. I'll be damned if I'm going to let you fill his seat."

"You already are damned. Things are going to change in Haven, Damon. I'm going to change them. So either you leave and find someplace else to live your life or you will suffer like the rest of your kind."

The next morning, Damon found Emma out on the pier.

"Emma. I knew I'd find you here."

"I'm surprised you'd want to find me anywhere," said Emma, still shaken.

"Emma, I just…"

"No, it's okay."

"I found the Rev in my father's office yesterday…measuring for drapes."

"He wants to be Chief?"

"He wants to control whoever is. The last thing Haven needs is the Rev and his self-righteous poison running things. I don't know what's happening. My dad was holding it all together."

"That's your job now."

"I'm sorry I shut you out."

"I'm sorry too. You're the one person that I can absolutely trust. And there's something I have to tell you." She touched his hand and he flinched. "What's wrong? You felt that."

"Yeah. I can feel you."

"How long?"

"A while," he smirked.

"So you mean…the other night when we…"

"Oh yeah. I wasn't sure what to think about it for a long time."

"That thing…that I was trying to tell you. I think it might have something to do with all of that. It might be part of it."

"Part of what?"

"Found out something about Lucy and it's really hard to believe."

"She's not your mother?"

"It's way weirder than that. I am Lucy."

"That's…"

"Don't. Don't say that that's impossible. Because whatever this is it's possible," said Emma as a woman approached them.

"Excuse me. Emma Petrova?"

"Can I help you?" Emma asked.

"Are you Emma Petrova?"

"Who are you?"

"I'm with the FBI. Answer the question."

"Alright, you're here about Max Hansen. He's dead." She put her hand by her side. The woman she'd been talking to drew her gun, but so did Emma and Damon reflexively.

"Haven PD. Who are you?" Damon asked.

"I said I'm FBI!" said the woman pulling out her badge. "My name is Special Agent Emma Petrova. Who the hell are you?"


	10. Bleed For Me

"Why don't we all put our guns down," said Emma to the agent in front of her.

"No. Why?" Damon asked.

"Because she knows. She knows she's a fraud. I am Emma Petrova," said the agent.

"I know her. She's my goddamn wife for Pete's sake. You just came out from a rock. Drop the gun!" The agent dropped her gun and Damon holstered his weapon before handcuffing her.

"You're making a big mistake," the agent said.

"I don't think so. Watch your head," said Damon as he placed her in his car. He then turned to Emma. "So…lunch? You okay?"

"Fine," said Emma, a little unsettled.

"If you say so. I'm guessing that's her car."

"That was a pretty good fake gun and badge she had."

"Laminating machine. Red state laws."

"Maybe, but I was someone named Lucy once."

"Which could all be part of someone playing you."

"Maybe. But the thing is if that were true…"

"Stop! She thinks she's you. She's not. In this town, that means she's Troubled and someone we need to deal with." He pulled her into a kiss. "Okay?"

"You're right. So have you thought about what we're going to tell people…about your Dad."

"It's been on my mind."

"Damon, when the Chief of Police dies, people tend to notice."

"I'm dealing with it."

"He's in a cooler in your car."

"We've got some weather blowing in. We should get her down to the station."

"Or we could talk about it later." They both then heard a loud thunk.

"What was that?"

"Rain?" Frogs then began to rain down from the sky.

"Get in!" Damon yelled as they entered the fake Agent Petrova's car. A few minutes later, the frog rainstorm stopped. "There's an explanation. Tornados. They've sucked up chickens, fish."

"In Haven?"

"Right."

"You think she could have caused all this?" Emma asked, looking at the agent they had apprehended in Damon's truck.

"Well, the sky did open and rain frogs down after she showed."

"What the hell was that?" Agent Petrova asked when the two detectives entered Damon's truck.

"What?" Emma asked.

"The frogs. I've never seen that on Animal Planet."

"You sure you didn't bring them here?"

"Can we go to the police station?" Emma spotted a cell phone behind their captive's back.

"Who did you call?"

"My boss. Agent Howard."

"Call behind your back. Nice trick. Not easy," said Damon.

"I could do that," Emma muttered as they heard buzzing. "Do you hear that?" They looked down the street and saw a swarm of insects overhead, heading toward the town. They then heard a car horn blare. "Let's go!"

"Laverne, I need ambulances at the Haven Yacht Club," said Damon into his radio as they arrived at a crash site.

"Holy crap," Emma muttered as she exited the truck.

"Looks like this driver didn't want to stick around." Emma walked to another car and opened the door as another car speeded to a stop at the intersection. "I'll take care of it."

"Sir, sir," Emma said to the only remaining driver from the accident.

"Hey, I can help!" yelled Agent Petrova, having escaped from Damon's truck.

"Shut up!" Emma yelled.

"He may have spinal damage."

"That's why I'm going to keep him flat."

"Well, you can try to keep him flat, but if he has any compromised vertebrae, you may paralyze him."

"Damn," Emma said as she noticed liquid leaking from the car. "Don't make me regret this." Emma uncuffed one of the agent's hands and they both pulled the man carefully out of the car. "He's got a pulse. Can you stay with him until the paramedics get here? I'm going to be right over there."

"Okay." Emma walked away and called her old boss, Agent Howard.

"Emma Petrova. Been a while. How's the local cop life treating you?"

"Oh, you know. Cats in trees. Like that."

"You looking for your job back?"

"No. Not really. Actually, I was wondering if anyone called in today pretending to be me."

"No. Is there someone saying she's you?"

"No. It's just…just this town."

"If someone's impersonating a federal agent…"

"No, Agent Howard, I'm going to deal with it."

"Yes, you will. Till I get there."

"Agent Howard."

"Detain her until I arrive." He hung up.

"Great," Emma muttered as Damon ran up to her.

"He's going to make it but we're not going to get his statement any time soon. You took the cuffs off of…whatever her name is."

"I needed her help and she knew what she was doing. What about the guy that was in this car?"

"Took off. These are gnats," said Damon, looking at the dead bugs all over the car.

"Looks like he was injured," Emma added, seeing a bloody handprint inside the car. "Pretty sure I know why he walked too." She pulled out an open beer can.

"Looks like we know what caused the accident too."

"What?" Agent Petrova asked, walking up to them.

"I talked to Agent Howard," said Emma.

"Oh yeah? What'd he have to say?"

"That I should be nice to you. That you might need some help."

"Right because there's something wrong with me."

"Well, you do have my memories. And in this town that probably means that you're Troubled."

"You're insane."

"See, I would think that too if I were you. Stan, take her down to the station and make sure she doesn't leave." A police officer then took the agent to a patrol car.

"What's more dangerous? Drinking and driving or bugs and driving? Guess I know why you didn't return my calls," said Dominic, walking toward Emma and Damon.

"I've got about a 100 reasons not to return your calls," said Damon.

"How about blood? Running down the street in front of the Good Shepherd Church. That a good enough reason to return my call?"

"When was that? Today?" Emma asked.

"About an hour or two ago. And the best part was…wait for it…it was coming out of the sprinklers."

"Blood, frogs…"

"Gnats," Damon added as Dominic recognized someone in the crowd surrounding the vehicular accident.

"What the hell is she doing here?" he muttered.

"Excuse me?" Damon asked.

"No, I uh…" He looked back toward the crowd and the woman he was looking at was gone. "I, um, never mind. I've got to go. Blood, sprinklers, good luck with this."

"What is his problem?" Emma asked.

"Guess he doesn't like bugs."

"I really don't like bugs. How's your Bible knowledge?"

"I know the ten plagues. Some of them."

"So what? God's punishing Haven?"

"If this happened in any other town, I might go there, but here?"

"Yeah."

"It started at the church. I'm going to go talk to the Rev."

"And it started when she got here so I'm going to go down to the station." Suddenly, a fire hydrant cap and mailbox exploded, unleashing flies into the sky. Damon and Emma looked at each other in shock.

A half hour later, Damon walked into the Good Shepherd Church.

"Damon Salvatore. Now this is a surprise," said the Rev.

"Shouldn't be. I heard blood was running out of your place and that's followed by frogs and flies."

"Haven's become Egypt. We can expect dead livestock, boils, flaming hail, locusts, darkness, and the death of the first born son. If I were you, I'd take that last one personally."

"You almost look happy."

"Happy? No. I'm not happy. This is my town and it's being punished."

"So? You always believed Haven needed to be punished."

"No, no. I don't want anyone punished. I want the cursed to ask for God's forgiveness and rejoin us all in his love."

"The Troubled don't need anyone's forgiveness. They're born the way they are. This has nothing to do with God."

"And yet the plagues are upon us."

"Thanks for your time."

"Your father. He chose to live among the cursed and it destroyed him and it will destroy you. But that doesn't have to be your path. Seek God's forgiveness and he may welcome you back into his grace."

"I'm good," said Damon before leaving. At the police station, Emma walked into the room where she had been keeping Agent Petrova.

"So you think I caused the frogs and the bugs. What're you thinking? Did I use my magic wand?" the agent asked.

"This all started when you got here so yeah. You kind of walk like a duck."

"Okay. I'm done talking until Agent Howard gets here."

"You know what, I have a lot of work to do until the next one hits so…" Emma walked across the room and began to place pushpins on a map. "Frogs here, gnats here, flies, blood."

"You have to put them in the order that they happened."

"I thought you were done talking!"

"I'm just going along for the ride. They're in geographical sequence."

"Add direction of the bugs and they move east to west."

"Are they following roads?"

"Except for the flies. Unless he's on foot. The flies are chasing someone on those roads."

"Got anybody in mind?"

"I'm betting it's that guy that left after he crashed his car. He left on foot and then the flies followed him."

"And I was with you then. So you can just go ahead and clear me."

"Of the plagues? Yeah," Emma smirked as she left. She met Damon at the residence of the couple that owned one of the damaged vehicles in the car crash.

"Hi, Haven PD. We need to talk to a Bud and Arlene Schubert," said Emma.

"I'm Arlene."

"Do you own a 98 Plymouth Sundance? It was involved in an accident," said Damon.

"I think I better get my husband. Bud! Come on in. I'll be right back."

"She seems normal," said Emma after the woman walked into the kitchen.

"They all seem normal."

"You're the first-born son."

"Thought I was. Guess I can't be too sure of that anymore."

"Well, either way we're not going to let it get to that."

"That would be swell. I like being alive."

"Did something happen to TJ?" asked Bud Schubert, entering the room with his wife.

"Who's T.J.?" Emma asked.

"Our son-in-law," Arlene explained.

"His car was impounded. He got a DUI last week so I loaned him our Plymouth."

"Is TJ here? We need to talk to him," said Emma.

"No. We haven't seen him since our daughter Connie died last week giving birth to our grandson. TJ's son. He's been drinking pretty hard since then."

"Excuse me," said Damon as his phone rang.

"I'm sorry for your loss, but do you know where he is?"

"I dropped by his house, but I don't think he's been there in a while. We've been caring for Aaron ourselves."

"Em, we've got to go," said Damon after a brief phone call. They left the house for acres of land. The whole field was filled with dead cows.

"How far does this stretch?" Emma asked.

"Reports put it out about a quarter mile."

"That means the plagues are getting bigger."

"And they're heading back towards town."

"Got an APB out on TJ Smith," said Damon when they returned to the police station and walked into their office. "Judging by the bloody handprint on the dash, he's injured."

"Without a car. We'll find him."

"You sound just like a cop," said Agent Petrova.

"So?" Emma asked.

"It's cute."

"Ah."

"People want to know if a railcar lost a chemical load? There's a ton of skin burn reports," said an officer to Damon.

"Boils," Emma muttered.

"Where's the Chief been all day?"

"I don't know," said Damon.

"Hope he shows up soon. We could use him."

"Yeah."

"Look at that. Your plagues before then they were in streaks," said Agent Petrova.

"Now they're in a circle," said Emma, catching on.

"Which means your suspect has stopped moving."

"Got a report of a carjacking. Crane and Monteville," said Damon, looking through a folder.

"Hello, TJ. Put an APB out on the car and let's go talk to witnesses," said Emma.

"Didn't I just earn myself a spot on this ride?" asked the agent.

"I thought you didn't believe in this whole plague thing."

"I don't. But somebody's doing something. I don't know if it's chemicals attracting bugs, but it's dangerous and it needs to be stopped."

"And you can help?" Damon asked.

"How about we just let her come along, but don't give her a gun?" Emma suggested.

"Your call." A few minutes later, thy arrived at the scene of the boils.

"Steve, what happened?" Damon asked a shop owner.

"You tell me, Salvatore. A guy came into the shop. Wanted to buy a gun. I turned him down. He snatched that lady's car on the way out."

"This guy?" Emma asked, showing him a picture of TJ.

"Yeah. But bloody."

"Why didn't you sell him the gun?" Damon asked.

"I didn't want a guy that messed up with a weapon."

"A guy that desperate just left? I don't think so."

"One call to ATF and you'll have license issues that will take months to resolve," said Agent Petrova.

"I sent him to Little Mike. If you got cash, he'll sell you anything. He hangs at the Gull." A few minutes later, the three law enforcement officers had arrived at the Grey Gull and were scanning the crowd.

"That's him. TJ stop!" said Emma, spotting their man. However, they were too late. As they finished maneuvering through the busy restaurant, TJ had already driven off in his car. A few minutes later, Damon was looking for Little Mike.

"I'm trying to get some units on the road to block him, but of course they're busy with the flaming hail," said Emma to Agent Petrova

"So you actually think that that guy did this."

"Yeah."

"What kind of a freak could do that?"

"They're not freaks. Some people call them cursed, we call them Troubled."

"I just bought all that patio furniture. Who are you? FBI," said Dominic, approaching the two women.

"Yes," said Agent Petrova as Emma replied, "No."

"Interesting," Dominic murmured.

"How well do you know TJ?" Emma asked.

"You think TJ did all this?"

"Yeah."

"He's been in here. A lot. Drowning his guilt in bourbon."

"What's he got to feel guilty for?" Agent Petrova asked.

"He was in Portland when his wife went into labor and died."

"Look what I found," said Damon, dragging a large man toward Emma.

"Ah. Little Mike."

"Be careful. He's messy when he's cranky," Dominic whispered.

"Saw you go after TJ. I know why you're talking to me," said Little Mike.

"Did you sell him the gun?" Emma asked.

"I know he had one when he left here. That good enough?"

"He say why he needed one?"

"Something about protecting his son."

"From who?" Agent Petrova asked.

"That's all I know. Can I go?"

"You believe him?" Emma asked.

"For now," Damon replied before letting Little Mike go.

"Who would TJ want to protect his son from?"

"From whoever he think his causing the plagues."

"Let's go."

"Come with me," said Damon to Dominic as Emma left. "Last plague is death of the first born son. Could be me. Emma might need help."

"Why does everyone think I want to help?" Dominic asked, looking up at the sky.

"Laverne, I need a two mile radius around 59 Crane Street evacuated," said Damon as the four drove toward the Schuberts' house.

"Damon, hon, only the Chief can order that. You need to call him."

"If this goes South, I need you to take care of the Chief," said Damon to Emma.

"What happened to him, Damon?" Dominic asked.

"He died."

"I'm not going to bury your dad," Emma replied.

"You have to. You're the only one."

"No, I'm not going to do it! I'm not going to waste a perfectly good cooler." Damon and Emma looked at each other and laughed.

"What cooler?" Agent Petrova asked.

"You don't mean this cooler?" Dominic asked, looking back behind his seat.

"Yeah," said Emma.

"Look," said Damon as they saw a cloud of darkness ahead.

"Locusts?" Emma asked.

"We're up to darkness." Damon stopped his vehicle outside the Schubert house and saw the Rev with members of his congregation. "Why are you here?"

"I'm here to help," said the Rev.

"We need to evacuate this area. I need to get all these people out of here now."

"They're here to pray for God's mercy and his forgiveness. And if you love Haven, Damon, you'll join us."

"I need everybody to move back now!"

"They're not going anywhere."

"Damon, we don't have time for this. Where's TJ?" Emma asked.

"He's upstairs with the baby," said Bud. "We tried to stop him, but he's got a gun." Emma and Agent Petrova walked into the house. Emma drew her gun and walked up the stairs, Agent Petrova trailing behind her.

"Put down the gun," said Emma when she entered the baby's room. TJ was pointing his gun at Emma as he held his child.

"Who are you?" TJ asked.

"Drop the gun," Agent Petrova repeated.

"You're not going to hurt my son. You put down your gun."

"Okay."

"What are you doing?" Agent Petrova asked as Emma threw her gun on the ground.

"Just trust me. TJ, what are you doing?"

"What God's been trying to do all day. I'm going to kill myself. I'm going to stop all this before, Aaron's…"

"Aaron still needs a father."

"You know what's coming next. Death of the first born son. My son! My son's going to live. If I'm dead, this all stops."

"You don't know that!"

"That's a risk I'm willing to take. I just wanted to say goodbye first."

"No. God's not doing this TJ. You are. You're Troubled. Like many of the people in Haven and if we don't figure out why or how to stop this a lot of innocent people will die." The cloud of darkness dissipated as the baby began to cry. Emma looked outside and saw people including Damon gasping for breath. "We've got to figure this out."

"How much longer are you going to let him point a gun at us?" Agent Petrova asked.

"Listen, just let me help you. It's kind of what I do in this town," Emma said, ignoring the woman beside her.

"My wife died. She died and I wasn't even there."

"I know and that is awful, but I need you to tell me what happened today."

"I drank."

"Did you go anywhere near a Bible?"

"Yeah. So?"

"When?"

"This morning. Before work, I went to church. I tried reading the Bible, but all it did was remind God that I'm still here and the plagues have been chasing me ever since."

"You were at the Good Shepherd Church. That's when this all started. Did you read Exodus?"

"Yes."

"TJ, it's not God. It's not the Bible. It's you. And when you read, you…" Emma grabbed a baby book from a table. and handed it to TJ. "Read this."

"This is insane!" Agent Petrova yelled.

"TJ, read it aloud. Please. Trust me."

"There was once a velveteen rabbit. In the beginning he was really splendid…" The baby stopped crying. "He was fat and bunchy as a rabbit should be. His coat was a spotted brown and white." Emma looked out the window and saw people getting up, recovering from the plague. She smiled as she saw Dominic help Damon up.

"Keep reading," said Emma as she took TJ's gun. "It's over now." Just as Emma and Agent Petrova left, they saw the shadow of a rabbit.

"How are you feeling, Damon?" the Reverend asked outside.

"What if she hadn't pulled it off, Rev? Some of your parishioners would have died."

"They know great struggles require great sacrifice."

"You know what!" Dominic yelled, but Damon waved him off.

"So a couple innocents die, your position grows stronger," said Damon.

"This has nothing to do with me. I'm just a lowly sinner just like you are."

"You're going to start a war. It's what you want, isn't it?"

"This is a war, Damon. On evil. On sin. I was hoping you would join me. Both of you. But you refused me, Damon. So be it. Dominic, you may not wish to choose a side, but sooner or later a side will choose you. Until then, be careful of the company you keep. The lamb can never lie down with the lion."

"What the hell is he talking about? Ah! Come on!" Dominic yelled, seeing the woman he spotted earlier today.

"Bug infestations. Schizophrenic weather. How do you keep the tourists away?" the woman asked.

"Emma, Damon, this is Rose."

"Rose Vargas."

"You have a sister?" Emma asked.

"Unfortunately, I do not have a sister."

"No, I'm Dominic's wife."

"Wife?" Emma and Damon asked simultaneously.

"Oh, you never told them about me."

"Could you please excuse us for a moment?"

Later after talking to Dave about a cover story for his father, Damon went out to a private piece of land and began to dig a grave.

"What are you doing here?" Damon asked when Dominic arrived.

"Scoring a few points with the new police chief. You could have told me about your Dad."

"You could have told me about your wife."

"Fair enough. You been thinking at all about what the Rev said?"

"No."

"Yeah, me neither, but just so we're clear, I'm a lion."

Later that night, Damon and Emma were having dinner at the Grey Gull.

"Why didn't you tell me you could feel me?" Emma asked after a moment. The question had been weighing heavily on her all day.

"For the longest time, I didn't know what to think about it. At first, I thought if I could touch you then maybe it was going away, but…it's just you. I didn't want you to feel like you had to do things for me."

"What's it like?"

"It's overwhelming. A miracle," said Damon as he stroked Emma's face. She leaned into his touch and he kissed her. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Looks like your friend is here," said Damon, seeing Agent Petrova walk into the bar.

"Hmm. I should go talk to her. Try to get to the bottom of all this." Damon nodded and Emma met the FBI agent at the bar.

"You've got some town here," the agent said. "There is no way I have your memories. You googled me. Tailed me."

"Dayton, Ohio. My third foster home. There was a girl there named Teresa. She told me that foster dad, Jack, had been coming in her room at night, drunk."

"She was twelve years old."

"So I waited up for him the next night."

"He stank of cigarettes and vodka."

"And he turned off the lights and he came for her. I put some scissors in his neck. He didn't even know how it happened, but he never touched her again." A tear fell down Emma's cheek. "It's why I became a cop."

"Mickey Mouse scissors?"

"Yeah."

"I never told anyone that."

"Neither have I. Not even my husband," said Emma as she noticed several FBI agents walk in. "Looks like the cavalry's here."

"Yeah. It looks like."

"When you go in there, don't tell them anything. We'll figure this out."

"Agent Petrova," said a man.

"Special Agent Howard." Emma was shocked. The man before her was not the man she knew as Agent Howard.

"The woman who stole your identity. Where is she?"

"She is in the wind. I'm sorry, sir. I think she was headed toward the Canadian border."


	11. I Hate Everything About You

"The death of the Chief was a shock to us all, but I want to thank you all for the support you've shown me over the past few days. My father always said Haven is more than just a town. It's a family and I appreciate you coming here today. Thank you," said Damon, giving his father's eulogy at The Grey Gull. He turned to Emma after the crowd began to move toward the food provided by the police department. "I hate public speaking."

"It was good. Is Dominic here?"

"Too many cops in one room."

"Whoa. Damon, you're bleeding," said Emma, seeing a small cut on Damon's hand.

"Great. How did I do that?" Damon took a napkin and placed it on the wound. "Ow!" Curious, Damon knocked his hand on the wood of the bar.

"Damon, what are you doing?" Emma asked, making sure no one was looking.

"I felt that. I can feel," said Damon, relieved. Before they could investigate the matter any further, the couple was called in to investigate an incident at a convenience store.

"I want animal control looking for that thing," said a customer from the store.

"It was probably a harmless pet," said Damon.

"Look, I know what a mad dog looks like, damnit. One of them almost pulled my arm off as a kid."

"There's no reports of a car accident or a fire," said Emma to the owner of the store.

"With burns like that? I haven't seen anything like it since Iraq."

"There you are. I want police protection. I pay my taxes," said Dominic as he walked over to Damon.

"No, you don't."

"Some of them."

"No, you don't. Calm down, Dom. We'll find him."

"Calm down? I just saw the guy who's going to kill me someday. Do you know what it's like knowing you're going to die? I feel like I have a curse. That came out wrong. Why are you-what are you smiling about?"

"Curses can be lifted."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"I can feel. Started this morning."

"So are you saying if I punched you right now…"

"It would be the last thing you ever did, but yeah, I can feel that."

"You've been saying that since the fifth grade. Wow. So what's it like being back to normal?"

"Haven't really had time to process," said Damon before he walked to Emma inside the store who was swabbing the register for forensic material.

"The clerk said the burnt woman was bleeding, but I can't find any blood."

"Nothing from the dog either. No hair, no saliva."

"What the sweep turn out?"

"Area's clean. Maybe they were hallucinating. I'll go back to the station, go through the Chief's files. See if anything like this has happened before."

Later, after an incident at the Haven train station, Emma spotted a young girl running away from the crowd. She seemed to possibly be the source of the sheer terror on everyone's face.

"I asked around and I think people are seeing their worst fears when they see this girl," said Emma when she returned to the police station to speak with her husband.

"That would line up with a report I found. A guy named Bob Taylor. Barricaded himself in his house for two days. He said Bigfoot was after him."

"That would make sense with what's been happening today."

"If it's this girl and Taylor saw her a month ago, where's she been all this time? Why haven't we heard other reports of people being affected? "

"We need to find her before anyone else gets hurt. I had Vince do a sketch of her," said Emma, showing Damon a drawing.

"Don't recognize her."

"Neither does Vince. No one at the bus station remembers her, even though they would have been staring right at her. And that's because they weren't seeing her. They were seeing their fears."

"Well, if she's the source, we may have a lead. Guess who was witness to Bob's attack on his Bigfoot? Brian Shaw."

"Kid from the grocery store? He was there looking for his girlfriend."

"Maybe he's still looking."

When the couple arrived at the house of Brian's girlfriend, Jackie Clark, they saw Brian sitting on the couch with a bloody knife in his hand.

"Brian, put it down," Damon ordered.

"Brian, it's going to be okay. Are you hurt?" Emma asked.

"It wasn't me. There was a burglar. Just like when I was a kid except this time I stopped him and I stabbed him."

"Brian, tell me exactly what happened."

"I came here to see Jackie, but there was a guy in the house so I grabbed a knife."

"It's clear. She's not here," said Damon after searching the house.

"Where's Jackie?" Brian asked.

"Brian, I need you to listen to me. Has Jackie been acting strange recently?" Emma asked.

"A few months or so ago. After her dad died, she had some problems."

"Problems?" Damon asked.

"She wouldn't tell me what they were. We broke up cause she said she needed some space, but a few weeks ago we got back together. And things have been fine since."

"We think that Jackie might have an affliction. That when people look at her, they see something that's not there, whatever frightens them," said Emma.

"That was Jackie? No, no. I would never hurt her." The two officers heard a scream and ran across the street. A woman was outside and the two walked inside.

"Jackie!" Damon yelled.

"Jackie, are you here? Got more blood. Listen, we know you're hurt."

"I just needed some bandages. Mrs. McCarthy was supposed to be at work. Tell her I'm sorry!" Jackie yelled from the kitchen.

"We just want to help."

"No one can help me. Just leave me alone." She faced Damon and he froze in shock. The girl then ran.

"You okay?" Emma asked.

"Go after her," Damon stuttered.

"What did you see?"

"No, go after her." Emma ran and grabbed Jackie at the front door.

"Stop before I hurt you too."

"You're not going to hurt me. I promise. Just look at me. Look at me. It's going to be okay." The girl finally looked at her. "See nothing scary." Scared, the girl hugged Emma. A few minutes later, Emma put some sunglasses on Jackie and took her to the police station with Damon and Brian.

"I've lived in this town my whole life and I always heard about weird things happening to people," said Jackie.

"When did it all start?" Emma asked.

"After my father died. One of the neighbors came over with a stupid casserole. I opened the door and she got hysterical and it just kept happening. Couple weeks ago it went away."

"What were you doing when it stopped?"

"I was hiding in Bangor and this guy attacked me. Slashed me with a knife and this woman ran up to help me and when she looked at me, she didn't freak out. No one did so I came home. I made up with Brian. Everything was okay. Until this morning. I just want to be normal again. Be with Brian who's so happy and now it's all ruined."

"It's not all ruined," said Brian, entering the room.

"Don't look at me."

"Jackie, I'm sorry. I thought all this curse stuff was crap."

"And now that you know it's not?" Emma asked.

"I don't care. I still love her." Emma left the room to give the couple some privacy.

"Jackie okay?" Damon asked.

"For now. Something strange is going on."

"Bold statement."

"Do you know Jackie spent the last couple weeks thinking she was cured of her Trouble?"

"Sounds familiar."

"And her affliction returned just this morning."

"When I lost mine. So what's the connection?"

"Right before her affliction disappeared she was attacked. This guy cut her. Maybe that's what happened to you."

"You think someone cut me…someone who can steal other people's afflictions by touching their blood? Who'd want me? Who'd want to go around not being able to feel anything?"

That night at the Fishery Museum, a man maneuvered himself down a tight chimney, his bones cracking and stole an artifact from the museum. Within minutes of the theft, Emma and Damon were called to the scene of the crime.

"Night watch man was on his rounds, checked the room, found they'd been robbed, but none of the perimeter alarms were tripped so the thief had to have come in through here. It's a damn tight squeeze," said Damon.

"Sounds painful."

"Not if he couldn't feel it. This had to be the same guy who took my affliction."

"The only thing that was taken was this 18th century children's puzzle board. Hardly seems worth never being able to feel again."

"I've been thinking about that. If Jackie's affliction came back when he took mine, maybe he can only take one at a time."

"Which means that yours could come back."

"If he touches another Troubled person's blood."

"But why the elaborate plan? According to the curator, this is just a piece of Haven folk art. It doesn't even have all its pieces? What could it really be worth." Meanwhile, the man who stole the board placed a puzzle piece resembling a schoolhouse in its appropriate spot. The old Haven schoolhouse exploded. Damon and Emma evaluated the scene the following morning.

"Ash isn't even warm," said Damon.

"It would take a fire days to reduce a building to this. So if it didn't burn down, it had to be something else. What the hell does this have to do with everything else that's been happening?"

"I don't know," said Damon as he found a pair of glasses. "There were people inside. What could have done this?"

"We need to talk!" Vince yelled from across the road. The two walked over and Vince took them to his house and showed the detectives some historical documents. "Tristan Carver. Sent away by his family on a colony ship to live in Haven as an indentured servant. Always resented the town he saw as a prison."

"So this puzzle belonged to him," said Emma.

"The story goes that he made it, imbuing his hatred of the town into every piece. Then when he was finally able to assemble it, buildings started to fall."

"So the Troubles have been here since the beginning," Damon replied.

"Yeah. His caretakers took the puzzle from him. They wanted to destroy it."

"But they couldn't. Not without destroying the town," Emma inferred.

"That's right. Instead, they scattered the pieces. All these years the puzzle board sat in the museum. Harmless. The town elders came to believe it was just folk lore."

"But it wasn't. And now someone has it."

"And knows how to use it," Damon added.

"You know who'd love to get his hands on this? Reverend Driscoll. Hold it up to his followers as proof that the Troubled are dangerous and evil."

"Does he know about this?"

"I doubt it. The secret was kept within the family," Vince replied.

"Yet you knew about it," said Emma.

"Well, I'm a very good researcher."

"Uh-huh. We need to talk to the Carvers."

"Whole family died out. There hasn't been a Carver in Haven in almost fifty years."

"You said the puzzle pieces were scattered. Do you know where they might have ended up?" Damon asked. A half hour later, Damon and Emma were back at the police station running down leads.

"Two weeks ago there was a robbery at a folk art museum in Maryland. The thief got away when a riot broke out. Terrified people turning on each other," said Damon.

"He used Jackie's affliction to take the puzzle pieces and yours to take the board. I had Stan go through the family trees that Vince gave us to see what families married in with the Carvers. Came up with Elliot, Robins, Haskell."

"Ian Haskell. He was at the memorial. He shook my hand. He must have had a razor blade and used it to cut me."

"Hey, I just saw the weirdest thing," said Dominic, waltzing into Damon's office.

"Ian Haskell. Where is he?" Damon asked.

"Okay. That's really weird too because that's what I came here to tell you. He can't feel pain."

"Did he mention anything about a puzzle?" Emma asked.

"I'm sorry did you not just here what I said. He can not feel pain."

"Dominic, the puzzle. This is serious," Damon repeated.

"He didn't mention a puzzle, but he did ask me to take him to Canada."

"Where is he now?"

"Waiting for me on my boat."

"I'm calling harbor patrol. We can't let him get out of Haven."

"That's going to take too long," said Emma.

"They can have the harbor shut down in twenty minutes."

"Can we just get him off my boat?" Dominic asked. A few minutes, the trio were walking on the docks toward Dominic's boat.

"Harbor patrol is standing by. Let's take this slow," said Damon.

"Ian had a bag with him. Puzzle's probably in there," Dominic suggested.

"We've got to be careful about how we get it. We still don't know how it works. And remember he still has your affliction so don't touch him," Emma said to Damon.

"It's not about me anymore," said Damon before he went to the top level of the boat to hide. As Emma and Dominic walked onto the boat, they saw Jackie and Brian being held on the deck by Ian.

"Ian!" Dominic yelled.

"Drop your gun or the kid gets it," Ian ordered.

"We just wanted to talk to him. Make him take Jackie's curse away," Brian explained.

"Shut up! Dominic, you've got thirty seconds to start the boat and you get off or I'll shoot Brian right in the head and then I'll crush this whole town."

"Ian, knock this crap off! Give us the puzzle!"

"That's not going to happen."

"What are you doing? What happened to you?"

"You mean why am I not such a loser anymore? Not a big joke? The Troubles came back. That's what happened and now people have to take me seriously. Now I get my payback."

"You wanted revenge? You got it. People died today," said Emma.

"That building was just a taste. Once we're at sea, I'm going to wipe this whole freakin' town off the map. Anyone who ever messed with me, made fun of me." Suddenly, Jackie pushed Ian and Emma shot him in the shoulder. "I can't even feel it." Dominic cocked his shotgun. "I was doing you a solid, man. You would have been with me. Safe." Damon then shot Ian in the chest from the upper deck. "I still can't feel it."

"Don't talk. Damon."

"I need an ambulance at the Cape Rouge. Now," Damon ordered on his radio.

"Don't touch him. We don't want your affliction to come back." Thinking quickly, Damon took Jackie's bloody bandage and smeared the blood on Ian right before he died. Jackie took her dark glasses off and she was back to normal. That night, Damon and Emma had dinner at the Grey Gull.

"So Vince and Dave took the puzzle pieces and are going to make sure they stay were no one can get to them," said Emma, taking a sip of her wine.

"That's good. How much do you think Howard knows about Haven?"

"I don't know. The better question is why'd he bring me here? It was really amazing what you did today."

"Not everyday you can help save an entire town. Although it is happening more often lately."

"You know what I meant."

"My affliction is tough to live with, but Jackie's is impossible. I can live a normal life mostly. She'd never be able to."

"Still."

"Troubles went away before. They'll go away again." Damon reached across the table and took Emma's hand. Her skin the only thing he could feel. "I can wait."


	12. Crushcrushcrush

"You know if you want to sprint I can just catch up?" asked Emma as Damon walked toward the Haven baseball field.

"Come on. It's the biggest game of the season. Boy grows up in Haven he plays baseball for the Seadogs or the Cutters. Everybody picks a side. It's been a tradition for fifty years. Blue or red."

"Oh please."

"Give it a shot, Em. Maybe some part of you likes baseball."

"Great. Just what we need," said Emma as she spotted Reverend Driscoll walking toward them.

"Damon," said the Rev.

"Reverend."

"Officer Petrova."

"Salvatore," Damon corrected.

"Hi ho, Seadogs."

"Hi ho, Seadogs." After the Reverend left, Emma looked at Damon, an eyebrow quirked. "Not a word."

"Couldn't even if I tried. I think my head just exploded." When they sat down, the mayor walked onto the field and everyone cheered. "Popular guy."

"He's a great man." Lights flashed as one of the boys made a home run. However, the pitch was contested by the Cutters' coach.

"What the hell are you doing, Conkle? That kid was out by a mile."

"I had a good look."

"You had a good look?"

"Can you believe that's the mayor's kid?" Damon asked Emma.

"He's kind of a jerk."

"Come on, Conkle. You blew the call!" yelled the Mayor. "The kid was out! Anybody could see that! Just admit it and we could get to playing baseball." Everyone on the field agreed.

"What just happened? Now the Seadogs want their man out? That's weird," said Emma.

"Probably wasn't the best call."

"Maybe I was wrong. He's out," said Conkle. Suddenly, lights began to flash again and spark. The hair then stood up on Emma's arm. "Everybody run!" As the citizens began to run, Emma saw a kid in the outfield in front of a light pole that was about to fall. She managed to save him just in time. Lightning then struck Conkle as Damon ran to Emma. "That a part of Haven tradition?"

A few minutes later, Emma and Damon were walking around with a friend of Giuseppe's, the baseball field having been evacuated.

"You want the scientific explanation?"

"You got one?" Damon asked.

"Massive surge of power overloads the system, blows out the lights, charge goes to closest grounded object, that would be your backstop."

"And what creates a power surge like that?" Emma asked.

"That's where you might have to get creative."

"Not looking to get creative. Did somebody sabotage the grid?" Damon asked.

"A person can't dial up a thousand gigawatts. You need an electromagnetic pulse. Of course then we'd all be dead so like I said you might have to get creative."

"The Rev's going to eat this up. Haven's descent continues."

"It'll look normal by lunch. I think I can get it working in a couple of days."

"You do electrical and construction?"

"I'm Dwight. I clean things up. That's what your dad and I used to call it."

"So your dad had a cleaner named Dwight?" Emma asked Damon after Dwight left.

"Nothing surprises me anymore. So a Troubled person turns the outfield lights into lightning guns. Going after a particular target?"

"The umpire has the crowd yelling at him. Maybe this was his way of yelling back.

"Conkle got hit by debris."

"Maybe he couldn't get out of his own way. Let's go." A few minutes later, the detectives walked into Conkle's hospital room. "How'd you feel about the mayor calling you out like that?"

"You think I blew up the lights?"

"It's just a question, Conkle." said Damon as the Mayor walked in.

"Mister Mayor. He is a great man," said Conkle to Emma.

"He sure is," Damon agreed. Emma looked at Damon suspiciously.

"Damon, let's take a walk," said the Mayor. The two men then walked into the hall. "I'd like to hear that the light show was a freak accident."

"Well, we are looking into the possibility of an electromagnetic pulse."

"Good. I need you to tell that to the reporters."

"Sir."

"Just a short statement on the front end of the press release I'm doing today. You think you can do that?"

"All do respect, sir, we're in the middle of an investigation," said Emma, joining the two men.

"And we'll do everything necessary."

"Atta boy." The mayor then left.

"Are you sucking up to him for a reason or do you just worship him like everybody else in this town?" Emma asked.

"I don't worship him."

"You just agreed to speak in public about an electromagnetic pulse that never happened."

"I guess I did."

"There's something weird about this guy." Emma then walked out of the hospital and met Vince and Dave outside.

"What's the story, morning glory?" Dave asked.

"Do you think electricity can shape people's thoughts?"

"Well, the brain is just a box of wires and electrical synapses. What? I heard that on TV once," said Vince

"Maybe that's how he gets everybody to like him."

"Who's him?" Dave asked

"Mayor Brody. The way people feel about the guy. It's totally unnatural."

"There he is. I love that guy," said Vince.

"Wait. Guys?"

"Thank you all for coming. It's a honor to be here on a day where we recognize the importance of Haven's future," said the Mayor. When he touched the microphone, he was electrocuted and fell to the floor.

"Let's get some help!" Damon yelled. He felt for the Mayor's pulse and looked at Emma. The Mayor of Haven was dead.

"Dad?" Chris Brody asked.

"Nobody should have to see their father like this. Especially not a great man like Chris Brody," said Damon.

"What? The guy's a jerk," Emma muttered. A few hours later, Emma and Damon walked to the bluff Chris was seen to frequent.

"Story I heard is that Brody traded in Chris' mom for a newer model when Chris was a kid so father and son have never been real chummy," said Damon.

"Alright, so we've got two Troubles. Electricity and popularity. The question is does Chris have both? Mr. Brody, Haven PD."

"Need help with that?" Damon asked, seeing Chris fishing something out of the water.

"No. I don't need any help. I don't need another tray of stroganoff. Just go home!"

"Have you heard of the Troubles, Mr. Brody?" Emma asked.

"You mean the side of Haven that nobody talks about? No."

"Were you aware that if your father died you would inherit his popularity?"

"What you think I killed him?"

"No," said Damon, obviously in a trance.

"You think I electrocuted my own father to get these barnacled yahoos to like me? Funny. I never pegged you for stupid. Although I may be the idiot for studying marine biology in the town where the laws of science are meaningless."

"Must be tough with everybody loving him and thinking you're a total ass," said Emma.

"Emma, stand down."

"Damon, what are you doing?"

"I would like to apologize on behalf of the entire department." Damon touched a device Chris had been using and it shocked him, stopping his watch.

"What the hell was that?" Emma asked.

"That thing shorted out my watch."

"I told him not to touch it."

"What is that?" Emma asked.

"It's a sub-aquatic inductor for the electromagnetic fields created by the turbines…this means nothing to you." A few minutes later, Emma was interrogating Chris at the police station.

"Maybe you have an electrical trouble and your sub-aqua conductor helps you…"

"Inductor, okay? I spent the last five years of my life working on the thing. It's not supposed to conduct electricity."

"You were at the baseball game, Chris. You were also at the hospital. We know that you had an argument with your father on the phone right before he was killed."

"We had a discussion. Which I came to the hospital to finish."

"Finish how? See from where I sit you have a pretty good motive."

"Why don't you like me?"

"What were you arguing about?"

"Everybody else in this town is fawning over me except you. What makes you different? The way you feel about me is the way I feel about most people."

"Then why do you coach baseball?"

"Kids aren't people. That's people." Emma turned and saw two officers smiling in the doorway.

"Get out, Jackson, Dermot! God."

"You really think I'd kill for that?"

"It didn't seem to bother your father?"

"Course not. He was a politician. He ate it up."

"Uh, Damon's asking for you," said Stan, walking into the room.

"Keep an eye on this one, Stan." Emma walked out of the room and entered Damon's office.

"Eight phones purchased in the last two weeks, all registered to Mayor Brody."

"He didn't want people to know who he was talking to."

"Mistresses maybe, a network of them. This could be a crime of passion."

"I still think someone would kill to have this Trouble."

"And while you're interrogating that someone, I'm here hiding behind my desk lamp. I vote for mistresses. Plus, his gizmo fried my watch. I liked this watch." Stan then walked in.

"Stan, I thought you were watching Chris."

"He said he had to go to his father's wake."

"And so you just let him walk out of here?" Emma asked.

"No. Danny took him over in the cruiser. Chris needed a ride."

"Of course he did. We're going to a wake." Half an hour later, Emma and Damon arrived at the Mayor's house.

"Mrs. Brody, I'm sorry for your loss," said Damon.

"Thank you for coming. It's just lovely that Richard had so many friends. I find it very comforting and I don't know what I'd do without Reverend Driscoll. He's always around when I need him. Excuse me."

"Troubles are growing and you're in over your head, you realize that?" the Reverend asked when Felicia Brody walked away. Damon left the Reverend and met with Emma.

"Scorch marks in the Mayor's study, coming in from the outlet on the wall. They didn't seem fresh though."

"So it must have been his wife. Or a visitor like a mistress."

"Or Chris."

"This might be my worst nightmare," said Chris, walking in. "How about a drink?"

"You're in a lot of trouble and I don't like you."

"Believe me you have no idea how great that makes you." Chris grabbed a beer bottle and it shocked him just as an electric shock hit Felicia Brody.

"Everybody stop moving!" Emma yelled. Half an hour later, Emma and Damon were back at the hospital.

"Somebody electrocutes the Mayor, shows up at his wake, zaps his wife and son and then slips away unnoticed," Damon theorized.

"Or maybe Chris Brody's personality is literally electric."

"More likely someone has a problem with the whole family."

"You should talk to Felicia and I'll talk to Chris. Since you know…"

"Okay," Damon smiled.

"He affects you, Damon."

"Uh-huh."

"Why are you grinning?"

"He's under your skin. I haven't seen that before."

"That's ridiculous. He's obnoxious and a suspect."

"Or just a person of interest." Emma rolled her eyes and Damon walked into Felicia's hospital room.

"I've never seen those scorch marks. I rarely went into Richard's study. He called it his inner sanctum so whoever is responsible for this was in my home for the last few weeks. That's a frightening thought," said Felicia.

"Mrs. Brody, you know your husband was Troubled, right?"

"We thought of it as a gift."

"I'm sorry I have to ask. Do you believe he was faithful?"

"Richard strayed once 27 years ago, the last time the Troubles came. But he was with his first wife at the time."

"He told you this."

"I was the other woman. He chose me."

Suddenly, as Damon walked back toward the hallway, a woman ran into him.

"I'm sorry," said Damon.

"That's her," said Emma, running out of a hospital room toward Damon. "She's been causing this. We're here to help." They moved toward the woman, but were flung back by an electric force field.

"Whatever she's got it's getting worse," said Damon as the lights turned off.

"Way worse."

A few hours later, Dwight was working on the hospital's electric system.

"Power surge in a few ventilators. I got it fixed. I'm just working on lights now."

"Do you want me to get a couple guys from gas and power down here?" Damon asked.

"You don't want them sniffing around."

"They know about the outage?"

"I already sent them to a downed telephone pole by the marketplace. Should keep them busy. Listen, your dad didn't ask a lot of questions. Makes it easier."

"Lori Fletcher is our electric lady," said Emma. "She's single, lives alone, has no family close by and at her desk I found watches, speedometers, EKGs. They're all fried, broken phones too. Eight of them."

"Did you check the serial numbers?"

"Yeah. They match Brody's list. Lori's got her Trouble and she was the mistress."

"And she could be anywhere."

"Yeah. Security cameras went down with everything else. Otherwise, we'd at least have her exiting the building." Damon then spotted a cop car, parked down the street.

"Maybe we still do."

"What time you looking for?" a police officer asked when Damon and Emma approached him.

"12:35. Wait. Back it up," said Damon, looking at footage on the officer's laptop. "That's Lori."

"With Felicia Brody."

"The wife helping the mistress who killed her husband get away from the cops."

"Alright so Felicia and Lori find out Brody lied to them and then they decide to kill him."

"Maybe split a nice life insurance payout."

"I don't know. Something seems really weird about that."

"And it just got weirder," said Damon after reading a message on his phone. "The van they were driving. Registered to the Rev." The couple then left for the church. However, it was locked, seemingly empty. "No Rev, no Lori, no Felicia."

"Did you get a report back on the microphone?"

"We know who we're looking for. We just don't know where she is."

"Can you just check?"

"Examined the Dynamic Microphone," said Damon, reading a report on his phone. "Wait, ground wire faulty. Shows signs of tampering. A ground wire gives current a safe place to go, but the current went right through Brody. My phone just crashed."

"She's here somewhere," said Emma as a jeep pulled into the church parking lot.

"Brody's here?"

"Yeah. I texted him."

"What? Why? The guy affects my decision making."

"Okay then trust mine, alright? We're going to need him."

"Hey, I just tried calling you," said Chris.

"I know."

"That's his plan? You're not going to look at me?" Chris asked as Damon averted his eyes.

"Nope."

"Works for me. Where's the nurse?"

"We don't know quite yet."

"She's in the basement," said Damon, seeing a flash of light.

"Let's go."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. If we go in there and Lori gets upset, Chris could get seriously hurt," said Damon after looking at Chris.

"It's going to be okay. Come on," Chris replied.

"From now on your life is in this room with your thoughts and the good book. You don't want to hurt anyone else do you?" Felicia asked Lori.

"No."

"Lori, we're here to help," said Emma, entering the room as lights began to flash.

"Oh God. It's happening again."

"Felicia, what's going on?" Chris asked.

"Chris, you shouldn't be here. It's too dangerous."

"She's right. I'm a monster. I killed your father."

"You didn't kill…" Emma's fingertips were shocked. "Ow! Lori, you're not a monster. Now if you'll just stay calm, I can help you." Felicia was then shocked. "She's getting worse."

"She's storing too much energy," said Chris. "If she holds out much longer, she'll blow this entire church. I repolarized the…great." The device Chris had brought was ruined. "Look at what she did. This is why I hate people."

"I've got some cables in my truck. If I can get close enough to her I can probably ground her with the lightning rod outside. Do you think that'll work?" Damon asked.

"Yeah sure if you want to bare bones the thing."

"Chris, I need you to talk to her," said Emma. "If you can calm her down, we can get close enough. Remember? Everybody loves you."

"Lori, I just wanted to ask you. Are you sure you loved my dad?" Sparks flew.

"Try to talk about something happier."

"I knew things about my father that nobody else did. First thing he loved was the water." In a side door, Damon hooked Lori's chair from behind with the cable he'd rigged. "You have memories of your own when you were happy. She's way too amped."

"Maybe we should wind her up so she overloads," said Emma. "Drain the electricity out of her. Lori, can you try to tell me how it all started?"

"Richard and I were supposed to be talking about what to do about us and it turned into something else. It wasn't supposed to and then you walked in."

"You found them in the study."

"And then I panicked and it just felt like my insides exploded and then sparks started coming off against the wall. I'm sorry. I told you."

"You said you didn't know about the scorch marks," said Damon, joining Emma.

"I was humiliated. She admits she killed my husband. Why are you coddling her?"

"Because I don't think she did. No matter what you let her believe," said Emma.

"What are you talking about?"

"You can't control your Trouble, Lori. The game, the wake, the hospital were big emotional outbursts. Do you really think you could direct electricity to a single microphone? Nothing else at that press conference was affected."

"You're lying."

"We have proof that someone tampered with the ground wire on that microphone."

"What?"

"The Mayor was murdered and I think it was staged to make it look like it was you."

"Question is, Mrs. Brody, how much do you know about electricity?" Damon asked.

"She knows enough," said Chris.

"Chris, I was helping her."

"No, you were manipulating her so you could get her to admit to a crime you committed," said Emma.

"Or shame her into killing herself," Damon added.

"Is that true?" Lori asked.

"No."

"Is it true!" Chris yelled.

"How could you be so cruel?" Lori asked. Anger finally taking over her, Lori discharged all the electricity in her body. When the ambulance and back-up arrived, the Rev stopped by.

"You had no business here," said the Reverend to Dwight.

"This is Haven. Making things disappear is my business."

"Come on. Let the man do his job, Reverend," said Damon.

"Going to get done one way or the other," Dwight added.

"The good people of this community need to know what happened here."

"Felicia drove your van, took refuge in your church. You wouldn't want the good people to think you had something to do with this," said Damon.

"Is that a threat?"

"If I find out you knew anything about this, I'll put you in jail. That's the threat."


	13. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow

"Not the first time we caught you breaking and entering, Dwight," said a police officer, pulling the burly man out of his squad car as Damon walked down the street with a coffee and a bag of doughnuts.

"Caught me? Chief Salvatore can clear this up."

"You haven't heard. Salvatore isn't chief anymore. We've got a new guy so no more special treatment for special people, you know."

"You sweating?"

"It's warm out here."

"I wouldn't say that."

"Dwight. What's this?" Damon asked.

"Did a little clean-up at the Central Coast meat packing."

"With a crossbow?" Dwight shrugged. "I've got this, Paul."

"Fine."

"Paul, cuffs." Paul sighed and unlocked him before walking away.

"So there's a new chief?" Dwight asked.

"Yeah. Selectmen sent in this guy named Merrill. He's a reformer from Brunswick, but I think he's clueless about the Troubles."

"Won't be for long."

"Sprinkles?"

"Oh yeah."

"Just watch where you point this thing," Damon said before walking into the police station. He ran into Dominic in the hallway.

"You know I hate you're a cop, right?"

"Yeah."

"And that I think it's ridiculous they put you in charge of this place."

"Uh-huh."

"But for certain reasons, it makes sense."

"Well, I'm not the Chief anymore, remember?"

"Yeah. But do you want to know why you're not the Chief anymore? Rose. She tipped off the Rev on your file about the Troubled people. I saw it on her phone."

"I knew it was the Rev, but how the hell is Rose involved?"

"You got me. Think how I feel. I'm married to her. Who knows what else she's hiding. Look, I figure we do this here. Otherwise, she'd bolt. I told her you were helping me with my parking tickets. Was the best I could come up with."

"Okay. Let's put her in the break room."

"Um, what the hell is that?" Dominic asked seeing a puddle of what he presumed was blood floating underneath a door. Within minutes, Emma brought the keys to open the room. They were shocked to see Paul Stark dead on the floor.

"It's Officer Stark," Emma said. "He's dead."

"I just saw him. He looked pale and sweaty, but not…"

"Dead?" Dominic asked. "He's pretty dead."

"His veins are…black," Emma noticed.

"What the hell is this? Is that one of my officers?" Chief Merrill asked.

"That's Chief Merrill?" Dominic asked.

"And who are you?" Merrill questioned.

"I am…nobody." Quickly, Dominic walked off.

"What could cause something like this?" Emma asked.

"Maybe a chemical weapon," said Merrill.

"We're not a target for anything like that," Damon protested.

"We may want to consider other possibilities," Emma added.

"You're saying this town doesn't have any local fanatics? Groups with a reason to target the Haven police department? I suggest you look into that right now," Merrill ordered before walking off.

"This isn't the Pentagon. Who's going to stage a chemical attack in Haven?" Emma asked.

"The more people know about the Troubled, the more afraid they are."

"Do you think the Rev is whipping them up?"

"Dom just told me that the Rev got me fired."

"Are you kidding me?"

"I knew he'd try to get me out eventually. It just happened sooner than I anticipated."

"Alright, so the Rev gets his Chief. Why attack the department now?"

"Unless the perp is someone unhappy about Merrill."

"You get replaced. You do have your fans."

"You think it's someone pro-Troubled? With technical know-how, access to chemicals. The last person Paul arrested was Dwight."

"Your Dad's cleaner. We really don't know that much about him." Damon pulled out his phone and called Dwight.

"He's dead?" Dwight asked over the phone.

"Maybe you had a grudge."

"Damon, listen. I didn't do anything to that guy okay? You really need to start trusting me. With a new Chief in town, you might need me more than ever," said Dwight before hanging up. Rose and Dominic then walked up to Emma and Damon.

"We going to do this now?" Damon asked.

"Wait. Rose, show him what you showed me." She showed them her hands which were stained black.

"It starts at the extremities," Damon surmised.

"We've got to get her to a hospital," said Emma.

"How long's she been like this?" Merrill asked.

"Excuse me, she's standing right here," said Dominic.

"Were you and Emma able to locate the chemical source?" Merrill asked Damon.

"No, not yet, sir."

"Did you have any direct contact with Officer Stark? Shake his hand? Sit at his desk? Anything?" Merrill asked Rose.

"No!"

"But this thing keeps spreading. So it's got to be biological and airborne."

"Sir," Damon protested.

"Ma'am, I'll need you back in the break room right now. Now! Ladies and gentlemen, we have a biological agent in the building which means we follow procedure. We cannot allow the contamination to spread further so until this situation is resolved, nobody and I mean nobody goes in or out of this building. The Haven police station is now under quarantine. This is a lockdown."

A few minutes later, Damon walked into Merrill's office after the new chief finished a phone call.

"What do the state police have to say?" Damon asked.

"That we're doing the right thing. The contagion hasn't spread beyond the police station."

"Like you asked, this is everyone inside the police station. It's a small group," said Damon, handing the man a sheet of paper.

"Hugh Underwood is a doctor."

"He said he'd look at the body. Check on the sick."

"Good. Have the officers keep an eye on everybody."

"Sir, the people out there are scared for their lives."

"Well, that's to be expected. That's why we have to maintain order. I put lock codes on all the doors and all the landlines are shut down. I want you to confiscate everybody's cell phone."

"People will want to stay in touch with their families."

"And I need you and the rest of the department to surrender your weapons."

"What?"

"They'll be placed in a locker under my own personal access code. We can't afford someone panicking, doing something rash. This isn't optional." Growling, Damon handed over his gun and cellphone. When he walked into his office, he saw Emma putting her cellphone and gun in an evidence folder.

"What are you doing?"

"Just a little insurance. I want to make sure I'm able to find at least one gun," said Emma as Stan walked into the room.

"Em, you called?"

"Yeah, Stan. You and the desk charge are the only one with access to the evidence room right?"

"Right."

"Book this in evidence and keep it that way."

"You got it."

A few minutes later, Emma and Damon checked on Dr. Underwood who was looking over Officer Stark.

"Can you tell what's happened to him?" Emma asked.

"It's strange. This dark blood. I know what your Chief said, but chemical weapons don't look like this."

"You think it's a virus?" Damon asked.

"No. Viruses don't move with this kind of speed. It's not like any other poison I've ever seen. It's like nothing on the known medical record."

"Thank you, Dr. Underwood," said Emma.

"Call me Hugh," said the doctor before he left.

"I don't think Haven's in the known medical record," Emma muttered.

"It's got to be the Troubles."

"So whose affliction is spreading this disease?"

"Person is probably still in the station. They could be infecting whoever they come into contact with."

"So Paul dropped in forty-five minutes and we've already got a new case. That means all of us could be sick in a matter of hours. I'm going to check on Rose."

"Dwight, it's Damon. Do you read?" Damon asked, using Stark's radio.

"Wow. Outside contact. I'm going to tell the new Chief on you," Emma mocked as she left.

"About time. What the hell's going on up there?" Dwight asked through his radio.

"We've got some kind of outbreak here."

"My buddy from the state police called. Said he got a tip-off. Any call from Haven's a prank. CDC got the same warning. I figured it was something you wanted to keep quiet."

"Somebody does. We're cut off completely."

"Think someone planned this?"

"I don't know. Just stay by the radio. Right now you're my only back-up."

"Roger that."

A few minutes later, Emma walked back into the room.

"I checked on Rose. She's getting worse and now this other woman's got it too."

"Somebody called off the state police and the CDC."

"What? Why?"

"I'm more interested in who. Someone wants us cut off."

"Do you think that Merrill's Troubled?"

"You don't think the Rev would vet his new pick for Chief?"

"Okay, look. It's not like there's a test. Maybe he's isolating us to cover his tracks."

"We've got to be smart. Try to reason with him first."

Emma and Damon were shocked when they entered Merrill's office and heard his new orders.

"Any person leaving this building will be shot on sight."

"Shot! By who!" Damon yelled.

"This is an outbreak. It needs to be contained. There are armed men outside this building who will shoot anyone seen leaving and will only stand down on my order."

"Who the hell are you?"

"I'm the guy bringing this place under control."

"Sir, have you ever considered the possibility that maybe you're the one causing this?" Emma asked.

"You think I'm Troubled? The Troubled are why I'm here. People are sick and tired of a town that looks the other way while the Troubled break the law."

"The Rev brought you here, didn't he?" Damon asked.

"I'm here to enforce the law."

"Oh my God. Sir," Emma gasped as Merrill coughed up black blood and collapsed to the floor, dead.

"Merrill must have known he was infected this whole time," said Damon as two officers took Merrill out of the room. "Maybe he really did want to control the outbreak."

"Or he was terrified by whoever was giving him orders."

"Dwight, you see anybody out there?" Damon said on the radio.

"Affirmative. I'm not the only one watching the station. You've got two armed with handguns on the perimeter. At least one on the roof of the post office bearing a sniper rifle."

"Head over to the Sheriff's department. See if you can get us some back-up."

"Will do."

"Got Merrill's access key. We can override the locks and get out of here."

"Of course, we can't really use it. Even if these guys outside are just for show, we can't let this thing out. It could wipe out all of Haven. This thing kills people in a few hours. We don't have that much time. I'm probably immune. I'm just going to start interviewing people one by one."

"Except Rose. She's mine."

"I need to get to a hospital," Rose complained when Damon entered the break room.

"We can't risk letting you out there. We don't know if you're contagious. Rose, it's not the only reason why I'm here. I need to know why you sold me out to the selectmen, got me fired as Chief. Why are you working with the Rev?"

"How'd you find out?"

"Dominic. He saw your text message."

"That's why he's been acting so strange. Look, this wasn't personal. I got in too deep and that's when they asked me to do that thing with your files."

"Who's they? The Rev?"

"He's one of them."

"Why is it so important to have me out of the way?"

"Because they said it would be helping Dominic."

"Explain it to me."

"I can't!"

"Then explain it to me," said Dominic, entering the room.

"I can't. I'm sorry. These men said I'd be helping you." Frustrated, Damon left the room.

"How does getting Damon fired help me?" Dominic asked.

"I don't know. They said that you were important and that you needed to learn certain things and that Damon needed to be out of the way because he was going to be a problem for you."

"How naïve are you? Or did they just pay you a lot of money?"

"Oh my God, it's not about the money. I believe them because they told me something I always knew. You're special."

"And what makes me so special?"

"All I know is that whatever is going on in this town, they think you're in the middle of it."

"WHY! Tell me!"

"I can't. I'm telling you what I know!"

"After everything, you owe me some real answers! So what, everything that's happened between us was controlled by them?"

"No, no."

"You could die. We all could die. There are men out there with guns stopping us from leaving. With all that, you still can't tell me the truth."

A few minutes later, Emma wrapped up her interviews and met with Damon.

"Have you seen Rose? She's missing. Dominic's worried," said Emma.

"Well, she can't be that far." Damon checked his pocket and realized the keycard was missing. Rose must have swiped it when he helped Rose sit down. "The keycard's gone. Rose must have it."

Rose had walked outside and was facing the men on the roof and the street.

"Where are you! I know you're out there!" she yelled.

"Rose, no!" Dominic yelled.

"No, I got out for you. You want answers, I'll get your answers!" Dominic then opened the door. "You're going to tell him what he wants to know!" Suddenly, the sniper fired and shot Rose in the chest. Dominic grabbed her and took her back inside.

"Oh God. I'm going to get some help," said Emma.

"Why did you do that?" Dominic asked Rose.

"I'm so sorry."

"Hang on. Help is on the way." However, it was too late as Dominic saw the light die out of his wife's eyes. Angry, Dominic moved toward the door, but Damon stopped him.

"No. Not that way."

"If you were ever my friend…"

"You can't just run out there. Be smarter than that!"

"Damon, get the hell out of my way." Dominic punched him just as Emma walked back into the room.

"Dominic!" She yelled. With his head turned, Damon took advantage and hit Dominic with the radio. "Damon!"

"I just saved his life."

"I'm going to go figure out how to stop this." Emma walked into Merrill's office and went through his trash. She found a Styrofoam cup that had been torn into little pieces. It reminded her of an interview she'd conducted. "Nikki Coleman." Quickly, Emma called the woman into her office. "You didn't mention Officer Stark made a call to your residence earlier today and you were also in Chief Merrill's office and now they're both dead three hours after they talked to you."

"I want to help you, but I can't be seen talking to you."

"Usually, a Trouble like yours is triggered by a traumatic event. Did something like that happen recently? You can tell me."

"No. I can't say anything. He's back. And he'll hurt me again."

"Is that why you called Officer Stark? Why you came down to the station? Because you're being abused?" Nikki nodded. "Okay, listen that man you're afraid of can't hurt you here. You're safe."

"I'm never safe. You don't understand. It took me years. I ran away. I changed my name. Today he found me. He said if I talked to the police he'll kill me."

"I think all those years that you spent absorbing that abuse, swallowing that poison, I think today when he showed up, it finally leaked out. It's been infecting all these people. If you tell me who he is, we can confront him and maybe we can end this thing."

"He knows I'm here. He knows I'm talking to you."

"Now how would he know that unless he's…here?" Suddenly, Emma's door was kicked in by Dr. Underwood who had somehow managed to find a gun.

"Excuse me, Officer. Mind if I have a word with my wife?" Underwood dragged the two into the bullpen. "On your knees."

"Alright, alright. You're in charge."

"Yes, I am. I heard about the freaks in Haven."

"You don't have to do this, Hugh."

"Well, now I do, don't I? Because she complained about me."

"She didn't do anything wrong."

"She did do one thing right. She gave everyone else the disease except me. And now they're all dying. Maybe its because you know I'm the one who truly understands you. Wait a second. How come you're not sick like the others?"

Meanwhile, Damon had Dominic locked into a jail cell.

"Damon, come on. You can't just lock me in here. I'm not going to do anything," said Dominic.

"You're not thinking right."

"Damon, I got back-up. The Sheriff's ten minutes out," said Dwight over the radio.

"Great."

"Not great. Our buddies out here must have a scanner and heard the call go out. They're gearing up. Looks like they're coming in."

"They want to wipe us out before help gets here."

"They're coming in the back. I've got you covered."

"Damon, you've got to let me go with you," Dominic pleaded.

"I'm not letting you get yourself killed."

"Stop it, Hugh! No more!" Nikki yelled in the bullpen.

"What did you say?"

"You hurt me." Hugh pointed the gun at her as she stood up.

"I'm going to count to three and you're going to get on your knees and apologize."

"No. You have poisoned me with your abuse for years. I'm done. So kill me if you want, but I don't think you will because you're nothing but a coward. Rot in hell!" Hugh turned sick and then collapsed. "I did that to him. I killed him."

"No, you saved us," said Emma as the other people in the building healed. Damon then walked into the room. "Hey, it's over. "

"Not for those guys outside. They're coming in."

"Why?"

"Wipe out the curse and everyone else."

"Okay. We'll go stop him and try to find more guns." Damon ran down the hallway toward the back door when Dwight busted through.

"They're coming. Move!" Dwight pushed Damon away as he was shot multiple times.

"Let's get out of here!" yelled voices outside.

"Dwight, you're shot."

"One grazed my neck," said Dwight as he removed his Kevlar vest. "Let me guess. You didn't catch a single bullet?"

"I'm not hit. I don't get it."

"Bullets…they, uh, tend to find me. It's a long story."

"Bullets tend to find you. That's your Trouble? Well, you're right. Way things are going on I might need you now more than ever."

A few hours later, the coroner's office had come to pick up the bodies.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Mr. Vargas. I truly am," said Reverend Driscoll.

"She didn't know anything about this town."

"She was one of the many innocent victims of the Troubled. I lost my wife to them too."

"I don't understand any of this."

"I can help you, Mr. Vargas. But you're going to have to prove to me that you're worthy."

"Reverend. Thank you."

"I'll pray for her."

By Emma's office, Emma and Damon were speaking with Dwight about the situation.

"Dwight, I need you to do something for me," said Emma. "Rose Vargas, make it look like a suicide or an accident. Just as long as the case is closed."

"We're not talking about covering up a supernatural event. This is a murder," said Damon.

"We can't investigate this with the state police looking over our shoulder."

"Rose was shot in the chest. She has black veins in her arms. The medical examiner is never…"

"No problem. Wouldn't be the toughest thing I've ever had if it's okay with you, Chief," said Dwight.

"Do it. One more thing. I've got Chief Merrill's cell phone logs. Guess who he talked to a half a dozen times during the lockdown."

"The Rev?" Emma asked, spotting the man in question across the room. "He's in the middle of all this."


	14. Surrounded Or Spiraling

"That's your third cup of coffee," said Damon as Emma walked out of a convenience store near their crime scene.

"Yeah I know."

"Are you sleeping at all?"

"Couple hours a night. I'm good though." Emma then walked over to a witness that had been attacked by the man they were hunting down.

"That's definitely the guy I saw coming through the store. He did not seem like he had a lot of strength," said the witness.

"Did you see anything else? This guy's a serial killer."

"No."

"Did you recognize a boy?"

"No. Look, I've seen a lot of things. This was not normal. Believe me."

"I've seen black bears do worse. You're a lucky man," said Dwight, approaching the man.

"It wasn't a bear."

"I can pretty much guarantee it was. It's feeding season and they're cranky. Trust me." Knowing her interview was over, Emma walked over to Damon.

"Dwight's cleaning the guy. I guess when you look like a Viking, people just believe what you tell them."

"Boy's name is Rory Campbell. Waitress' kid goes to school with him. There's blood over by the shed and here. It's probably his."

"We need to call his parents."

"We already did. Dad's on the way down."

"Looks like there's a trail."

"Guy goes into the shed, gets interrupted by our truck driver, spikes him like a football, then drags Rory into the woods to finish what he started." Emma then noticed a leather bracelet hanging on a tree.

"Forever. We're going to have to search these woods."

"Probably want to get a few more people down here."

"Why? After last week, who can we really trust?"

"A case like this. It's procedure."

"Well, getting locked in our own police station and shot at - that was procedure too. No. We've got to do things our way. From now on, Damon, it's just you and me."

A few minutes later, Rory's dad arrived at the scene.

"This is Rory's," said Mr. Campbell, looking at the bracelet.

"There any significance to the stamp on the inside?" Emma asked.

"Forever? Not to me. Look, a serial killer's got my son. Where are the staties with the hounds? Did they stop for coffee?"

"It's actually better for everyone involved if we keep this investigation local," said Damon.

"The man that was last seen with Rory there is a chance he could be…"

"Troubled?" Mr. Campbell asked.

"You know about the Troubles, Mr. Campbell?" Emma questioned.

"I've lived in Haven my whole life. I've got my gun in the truck."

"Mr. Campbell, this is a police matter," said Damon.

"I was in the Marines. You can't run a shadow operation with two people. My son is alive in those woods. I feel it in my gut. There's no way I'm sitting on my hands while some twisted freak chases him down."

"I'm coming too," said Dwight.

"No, you're not."

"I can manage the situation."

"You are a bullet magnet, Dwight. Your vest barely saved you last week. I'm not going to risk it."

"A kid is missing. Barely is enough."

"Well, just you and me became just you and me and them," said Damon to Emma. "It might actually help having a few more people assuming they don't die."

"I'm going to make a call."

After a failed call to Dominic, Damon called Vince and Dave over.

"We don't need Dominic," said Damon to Emma. "Vince and Dave know these woods better than anybody. No one goes alone, we go in pairs. Em, you go with Mr. Campbell. Dave, you're with me. This guy's on the run. Extremely dangerous. We watch each other's backs. Be careful."

As Emma and Mr. Campbell walked through the woods, they heard a screeching noise.

"Creepy and invisible. Not my favorite combination," Emma muttered.

"Have you ever tracked someone in the woods?"

"Excuse me?"

"I'm putting my son's life in your hands. I'd like to know what you bring to the table."

"You need to step back."

"You need to answer my question."

"You're standing on the evidence." Mr. Campbell looked down and saw a blood trail. "Come on. There's more." They followed the blood to a dead animal. "Poor guy. He probably thought he was going to have a good day."

"Let's move. Try to find something we're actually looking for."

"I think I just did." Emma had turned around and witnessed a gutted human body. "That's our serial killer." A few minutes later, Emma had gathered the rest of the team to her location.

"You think Rory killed him?" Mr. Campbell asked.

"I'm saying it's possible. He was the last person seen with him," Emma replied.

"This guy was supposed to be a monster. Rory's not capable of that. He was damn near valedictorian of his class. Aren't there bears in these woods?"

"Worse than that. How about a wendigo?" Dave asked.

"Let it be," Vince warned Dave.

"A what?" Mr. Campbell asked.

"A wendigo. According to the Mickmaw tribe, it's a human spirit that's stronger, faster, tracks prey like a lion, survives on human flesh."

"It eats people?" Damon asked.

"Yeah. Long before these woods were state park, they were the wendigo's hunting ground."

"Good lord. This is amateur hour," Mr. Campbell sighed.

"Teeth marks on the body are human," said Dwight.

"Are you sure?" Emma asked.

"Nothing else quite looks like people being eaten by…people."

"Still want me to let it be, Vince?" Dave asked.

"Mr. Campbell, are you sure there isn't a history of the Troubles in your family?" Emma asked.

"What? Now my son is some sort of cannibal? No. There's no history. Not in my family, not in my wife's. Look, someone else did this and they're chasing my son and you are wasting time." They all then heard another screech.

Later as Damon walked through the forest, he heard a noise and cocked his gun. Dominic moved away from a tree and he and Damon pulled their guns on each other.

"Lower your weapon, Damon," said Reverend Driscoll from behind Damon with a group of men, carrying guns.

"I don't know what the hell you're doing here, Reverend, but you and your men better stand down."

"You first."

"Actually, we're going to do all of this at the same time," said Emma, emerging from the brush, her gun drawn. "One, two, three." No one moved. "Play nice, boys. I could take out two of you before anyone else gets out a shot." The Reverend's men then lowered their guns.

"You all just committed a felony," said Damon.

"We're protecting one of our own, Damon. You should understand that," said the Rev.

"What are you doing here and what the hell are you doing with the Rev?" Emma asked Dominic.

"Just some concerned citizens trying to protect our town."

"We're trying to find that boy and the killer that took him," said the Rev.

"Killer's dead. You have no idea what we're dealing with and you've got no authority to be here," Damon countered.

"We know how to hunt down evil and we know what to do when we find it. Unlike you," said the Reverend as Mr. Campbell joined the two opposing parties. "Ask the boy's father if he wants us to leave."

"We need the numbers," said Campbell.

"Are you insane?" Damon asked Dominic as the Rev and his reinforcements walked away.

"Insane is doing the same thing over and over again when it gets you nowhere."

"So you make a date with the Rev? Is this just about Rose?"

"Rose is dead and for the first time I'm seeing things clearly. Now stay out of my way."

"I think he's finally lost it," Emma muttered as she and Damon walked in the opposite direction.

"It's one way to deal with loss. Pretend it doesn't matter."

"How do you explain him pointing a gun at your face?"

"Bluffing maybe. Hopefully."

"Well, I don't think that his friends were. We're going to need to watch our backs."

"Rev's been talking a long time. I think he's finally making his move. Somehow Dominic's a part of it."

When they reached the riverbed, Emma and Damon heard the screeching again.

"I can never figure out where that damn thing is coming from," said Emma.

"I hear a squirrel."

"We are in the woods, Damon."

"Two squirrels chattering means they're having a conversation. This is just one. It means he's scared of something large."

"Boy Scouts?"

"Moose Hunter Magazine. I was a kid."

"That thing sounds terrified. Damon." Emma had spotted a bloody shirt.

"A girl's. Probably teenager."

"How many people does this thing need to eat?" They then heard more screeching.

"Things. Plural. I think we're surrounded." As they heard a noise from the bush, they drew their guns.

"No, no. Don't shoot," said Rory Campbell, emerging from the woods.

"Rory! Rory!" yelled his father.

"I killed him, alright. The sick bastard chased me out of the diner. He tried to kill me and I killed him. I had to."

"How exactly did you kill him?" Damon asked.

"Ah!" yelled a man from the woods.

"Bart?"

"Something bit my leg. It came from behind. I didn't see it or hear it until it was too late. It moves real fast, but the damn thing is human." Rory then ran back into the woods.

"Rory! Come back!" his father called.

"Rory, doesn't seem too worried about what's out there," said Emma.

"I don't think it's after him. I think it's after us," said Damon. "It's getting dark. If this thing's coming for us, we need to stick together." The two teams gathered at the riverbed and set up camp. Into the night, Dominic approached Emma who was sitting in front of the fire.

"Guess we're out of matches," said Dominic sheepishly.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Emma asked. "You lied to me. You threatened Damon and you come over here to ask for fire tips? Fuck off."

"Fine. I can't believe I came over here to tell you you can trust me."

"What!"

"I know exactly what I'm doing."

"Getting in bed with the Rev? You do realize one of those guys killed Rose. Don't act like you don't care about that."

"The Rev killed Rose. One way or the other it goes back to him and yeah, I'd have my revenge if he didn't know about every other mystery in my life. Rose, the tattoo, my father." Emma looked away, angry. "Emma, it's me. Okay? I feel like I'm on to something big, but I don't have any idea what is."

"Welcome to the club."

"You know I want answers too."

"Dry grass packed with animal dung. Burns forever."

"Thanks. FBI teach you that?"

"I don't know where I learned it. I don't know who I was when I learned it. Can you believe that?"

"I know with you, Emma, there's nothing I don't believe."

"Listen, you know I'm the last person to tell anyone how to live their life, but just know that some doors you kick open, you can never close again."

"You hear that?"

"What?" She then heard growling from the woods.

"That."

"Cover the perimeter," Damon ordered as Campbell began to walk toward the woods. "What are you doing?"

"Taking the fight to the enemy."

"I'm with you," said the Rev as his men including Dominic moved into the forest.

"They're going to get themselves killed," Damon muttered as he walked into the forest. He came upon a girl.

"You're Damon Salvatore, aren't you?" she asked.

"Who are you?"

"Please you have to help us." Another girl approached them, growling. "Sophie, no."

"No what?" Damon asked.

"She's hungry."

In another area of the forest, Emma was searching for Damon.

"Come on, Damon. You couldn't have just disappeared."

"Officer Petrova," said the Reverend.

"What happened?"

"Must have scared it away. Everybody went back to camp."

"Okay. We don't know what we're up against out here, alright so when your men splinter off to play action hero it puts the whole group at risk."

"We know what we're up against. We're chasing down the Troubled. Only this time we're going to do it my way."

"Your way is going to get people killed."

"Maybe. But it'll be the right people. The way you coddle the Troubled has cost a lot of people their lives. So now we're going to do what we should have done a long time ago. Wipe 'em out."

"Reverend. Where's Damon?" The Reverend walked away and as Emma approached a tree, a hand covered her mouth and pulled her to the floor. Emma struggled to break free from the man who'd captured her.

"Emmy, shh. It's me," Damon whispered. "Come on." A short distance away, Damon took Emma to the two girls he'd encountered. "Meet Sophie and Frankie Benton. Sisters and wendigos."

"Whose blood is that?"

"Don't worry. It's from a deer," said Sophie.

"I thought you eat people."

"We can survive on most live flesh," said Frankie.

"They're Troubled. Their parents were killed in the plane crash that went down in Newfoundland about three months ago. Seems to be the trigger," said Damon.

"We dragged our stuff in here a year later. It's the only way we can live normally. In a town with all the smells, it's unbearable," Frankie said.

"So if you don't eat people, what happened to the killer?" Emma asked.

"It's not fair. She gets to do whatever she wants," said Sophie to Frankie.

"Life isn't fair."

"Who's she?" Emma asked.

"Amelia. Our middle sister. She ran off about a week ago. If she went into town…"

"We think Amelia's got a boyfriend. Rory Campbell. Is it possible Rory could have lured the killer in the woods for Amelia to eat?" Emma asked.

"Their relationship has always been way too intense," Frankie replied.

"That explains why he ran away when we found him."

"I'm doing the best that I can, but I need help."

"Can you get Sophie somewhere safe?" Damon asked.

"We have a place on the north-east corner of the park. What about Amelia?"

"Do you know where Rory and Amelia would hide?" Emma asked.

"By the old Ranger's station. I checked by there earlier, but you never know."

"We'll look. Go, go!" The girls ran off. "The Rev is making his move. If we don't find Amelia first, they'll kill her."

"We can't find anything in the dark. First thing in the morning, we'll go to that Ranger's station."

The next morning, Damon, Emma, Dave, Vince, Dwight, and Mr. Campbell hiked to the Ranger's station.

"Cabin's just a little further. Rev should get there a little later than we do," said Dwight. When they walked up to the cabin, Damon spotted a tin can.

"They were probably here at some point. Impossible to know when."

"Rev's gone," said Dominic, approaching the group with the Reverend's men. "He was behind me and all of a sudden he wasn't."

"And you didn't hear anything?" Emma asked.

"It's that thing. Bart went to the hospital so it snatched the Rev instead," said one of the Reverend's men.

"Some footprints over here. They head into the woods," said Dwight.

"Let's go," said Mister Campbell as he headed off with Dominic and the Reverend's lackees.

"How far is it to the north-east corner of the park?" Emma asked.

"About a mile give or take," Vince replied.

"We need Frankie's help. We're going to have to run for it."

"Somebody needs to stay here in case they come out. Vince, Dave," said Damon.

"You got it," Dave replied. A few minutes later, Emma, Damon, and Dwight made it to Frankie and Sophie's makeshift camp.

"Thank God. There's something wrong with Sophie. She's burning up. I think it's the hunger. It's stronger than she is," said Frankie.

"She needs a doctor," said Damon.

"Can't take her to a hospital. Too many people and too much blood. I have a medical kit in the truck," said Dwight.

"Her body needs food. I'm not talking about another deer."

"Let me worry about that. You help Damon and Emma."

"We're looking for Amelia. We need your help, Frankie," said Emma.

As they walked through the woods, Emma and Frankie came across the Rev who had Amelia pinned to the ground, his knife drawn. Just as he was about to kill Amelia, he fell to the ground, shot. Emma was behind him, her gun smoking.

"You were aiming for his shoulder right?" Damon asked, running to Emma.

"Who did this?" asked one of the Reverend's men a few minutes later.

"I did. He was going to kill her," Emma replied.

"So what? She's a monster. He's a man of God."

"Officer Petrova followed procedure and prevented a murder. It was a proper kill. End of story," Damon ordered.

A few hours later, everyone had left the woods and the coroner had picked up Reverend Driscoll's body.

"Where's he taking them?" Damon asked Dave as Dwight put the Benton sisters in his truck.

"Probably don't want to know," Dave replied.

"Yeah, I do."

"Slaughterhouse out by Route 14. Livestock. Kind of a live, work setup until the Troubles are over," Vince answered as he looked at Emma who was talking to Dominic.

"There's going to be an inquiry into the shooting. I'm going to have to explain why I didn't aim for his leg," Emma told Dominic.

"That's a good question. Why didn't you?"

"Are you serious?"

"Look, you're not going to see me crying at the Rev's funeral, but your timing, Emma. An hour before you killed him he was dangling the keys to Haven in front of my nose. I was this close! Because of you, I've got nothing."

"Well, I'm sorry I screwed up your plans. No, if you were with the Rev and he was about to kill that little girl, would you have stopped him?"

"Honestly, I don't know."

"Well, you need to figure it out, Dom, because while you're looking for answers, the rest of us are fighting a war! I did what I had to do."


	15. Bridge Burning

"Hot enough for you?" Emma asked as she took pictures of a desiccated body.

"I wouldn't know," Damon replied.

"Your shirt does." Damon looked down and saw a large sweat stain in the middle of his shirt. "You're hot and I think this guy most definitely was. Looks like every drop of water was sucked right out of him. Prints are going to be tough, but fortunately we've got number fifteen." Emma matched his racing number to a participant registry. "Reggie Buzwell."

"You can't keep pretending what happened didn't happen. You killed the Rev."

"Damon, there was a full investigation into my shooting the Rev. It cleared. It's gonna fade away."

"Right now, it's all anyone's talking about."

"Hey, Dwight," said Emma as the burly man entered the tent.

"Ah, man. Reggie. We used to go fishing together."

"He Troubled?" Damon asked.

"Yeah."

"You know how?"

"Maybe it was this. Hey, he never said I never asked. A lot of people don't like to talk about it. We were both going to Finnigan's tomorrow night for the meeting."

"What meeting?" Emma asked.

"Some Troubled people are a little worried about the repercussions after what happened to the Rev so…we're getting together."

"Just winding each other up," Damon sighed.

"Listen, we're just talking about how to look out for each other."

"Maybe you should go, Damon," Emma suggested.

"Maybe I should shut it down." Suddenly, the two detectives heard a noise outside. "Get Reggie packed up for the coroner." They walked outside and saw a man harassing another racing contestant.

"Are you one of those freaks? You're name's Stu, right?"

"What's your name?" Damon asked.

"Patrick Groscle. Tax payer. This guy…"

"Calm down, Mr. Groscle."

"Why? So Haven PD can cover it up like nothing happened? You expect us to just roll over and let these people do whatever they want. Where'd he go? And yet another freak goes free. Everyone in this town is tired of what's going on and when you screw up again, you're going down. Both of you."

A few hours later, Emma walked in Damon's office.

"Coroner report."

"Dehydration inconsistent with exercise."

"You don't think the Trouble was triggered by the stress of the race, do you?"

"I don't think so. I've never seen a Trouble just triggered by physical stress."

"Wait a second. There's a new coroner. What happened to Juarez?"

"Nothing. I asked Dwight to use a guy in Cleave's Mills. Might be best to keep this case quiet."

"Yeah, cause normally we shout the Troubles from the rooftops."

"Even quieter than usual. We need to let things die down a little."

"Damon, I did what I had to do."

"I'm not questioning that. But you saw those people this morning. They're not happy." Damon's office phone rang. "Salvatore. On our way. We've got another dried out body."

The next desiccated body they found was on a lawn mower. After looking at the body, Emma and Damon spoke with the deceased's wife.

"Barry warned me before we got married that one day something could happen. I didn't think it'd be like this."

"I'm sorry, Annie. What do you mean by like this?" Emma asked.

"Barry was…"

"Troubled?" Damon offered.

"Yeah. He was trying to protect me. He said he was ashamed."

"Anyone else know about his affliction? How it worked?"

"Just family. And his friend, Stu."

"Stu?"

"Stu Pierce. He was always talking to Barry about their problems. He even convinced him to go to that stupid meeting he was organizing."

"Stu was organizing that meeting for Troubled people tomorrow night?" She nodded. "He ran before I could talk to him."

"And both of our victims were attending," said Emma. A few minutes later, Damon and Emma arrived at Stu Pierce's house.

"Annie said Stu was compiling a list of Troubled people," said Damon.

"What? So Stu is some kind of sociopath who collects the names of Troubled people to pick them off one by one?"

"Barry was ashamed of who he was. Maybe Stu hates himself so much that he wants to kill off people like him."

"The fact that you came up with that profile so quickly worries me." The two then saw a broken-in door. They drew their guns.

"Maybe someone figured out Stu was killing his own."

"Maybe they came for revenge." They heard a noise and burst into the house. Mrs. Pierce was hog-tied to the floor. "Ma'am, are you okay?"

"My husband."

"Your husband did this?"

"No. My husband, Stu. They attacked us. They took him away."

"House is clear. They're gone," said Damon.

"I don't think Stu's the killer. They've got him. They've probably got his list too."

"Then whoever took him knows the name of every person going to that meeting."

"Our kidnapper has a hit list. I need you to tell me anything you can remember about those men who took Stu, Mrs. Pierce."

"They were all wearing masks with gloves and hoods, but when they were tying me up on the ground, there was something on their leg, like a tattoo."

"In the shape of a circle?" Damon asked.

"No, it was more like a big number. Maybe a three and an eight."

"It's not a tattoo, but permanent marker's pretty hard to wash off," said Emma.

"Stu's kidnapper was running in that 10k."

"I bet if we check those race numbers for a 3 and an 8, we're going to find out he's Patrick Groscle."

That afternoon, Groscle was in the interrogation room.

"We have your race number and we saw you arguing with Stu. Why did you kidnap him? Did you decide killing Reggie and Barry wasn't enough?" Emma asked.

"You're nuts. I heard what happened to those two. How could I have done that?"

"Maybe you used your affliction," said Damon.

"You're suggesting I'm Troubled."

"Or you're working with someone who is," Emma added.

"Look, all you have is half a number on a leg."

"Listen, I don't know what your lawyer told you."

"Lady, I am a lawyer and I have witnesses that saw you harassing me at the race and now you drag me in here with no probable cause. I'm filing a suit, a very public suit." Damon sighed and opened the door, letting Groscle leave. "Good luck finding your friend."

"I can't believe you just did that," said Emma, outraged.

"Shh. I'm trying to protect you."

"Because suddenly I need protecting now? Why? Because I was the only one who had the nerve to shoot a guy who was going to kill a little girl?"

"A Troubled little girl who happened to be a cannibal! And the man you shot was the Rev, one of this town's leaders."

"Is that what you're worried about? What the town thinks? What about what you think, Damon? You know, since this whole thing started, you haven't said what you think so tell me. Do you think I did the right thing?"

"Yes. I know you did what you had to do to save that girl's life, but right now my opinion doesn't matter and I can't do my job if I'm under indictment. People are just looking for an excuse so at least one of us has to follow procedure."

"Okay," said Emma. She left angry and when she slammed the door, Damon's anger got the best of him as well. He kicked a chair into the wall.

Later, Damon found Emma watching Groscle from her car.

"How'd you find Patrick?" Damon asked, entering Emma's car.

"I put an APB out on his car."

"He's a lawyer, Em. You're just making his case stronger. Why am I the bad guy for trying to help you keep your job?"

"You're not a bad guy. It's just my ability to help Troubled people…I don't think that comes from Emma Petrova or Lucy Ripley. I think that that's just me. I think it may be the only thing that is so I need to keep on doing that even if it means bending the law."

"There's bending and there's breaking. The way you're going it's just a matter of time before you're suspended…fired…"

"I don't care."

"How about arrested? You gonna help people from a jail cell?"

"That's Patrick."

"Wait. What are you going to do?"

"Damon, that man is J-walking," Emma mocked before leaving.

"Damnit." A few minutes later, Groscle was handcuffed to a pipe in the building he had just exited.

"Get these handcuffs off me! You have no cause to keep me here!"

"This is textbook harassment," Damon whispered to Emma.

"State law. You need to cross at the corners!" Emma yelled to Patrick.

"You know what. I was wrong. It's not that you don't care about getting fired. You want to get fired!"

"I'll be fine."

"Well, I won't!"

"Damon, you're a good cop."

"I won't be fine. This isn't just about work, Emma. You're not just my partner. You're my wife. Emma…" Suddenly, the fire alarm went off.

"Are you trying to burn the evidence? Where is Stu Pierce! Is he upstairs?" Emma demanded from Patrick.

"Why don't you check? If he is, he's probably going to need a hand."

"Wait. We don't even know what his Trouble is. There's a reason that he wants you to go up there," said Damon.

"Damon, listen, you take care of him. I'm going to go find Stu. I'm going to be okay." She ran up the stairs, kicked a door down and found Stu.

"You can't touch me. My sweat. It kills people."

"Don't worry. You're not going to hurt me."

"You…You're Emma Petrova."

"Yeah, I am."

"Thank you."

"Thank me when I get you out of here." The two escaped right before the fire completely consumed the room.

Later, Stu explained what had happened at his home, reunited with his wife.

"Reggie and I were running. He wanted to back out of the meeting. I grabbed his arm around mile two and then he started getting sick."

"And that's what triggered your affliction," said Emma.

"I was scared. I ran home. I found Barry borrowing my mower and he put his arm around me before I could warn him."

"We need to take you somewhere you'll be safe," said Damon.

"I understand."

"No. You can't take him away. It's this town. It's the stress of the meeting that did this," said Mrs. Pierce.

"I have to go. Patrick wasn't just planning on killing me. He was going to parade my affliction for the whole world to see."

"We have Patrick's prints all over that building. He's going to prison," Damon reassured the man.

"But what if you hadn't stopped him? This town isn't safe for people like me anymore."

"Fine. I'm going with you," said his wife.

"You can't just pack up your whole life. For what? Till the Troubles are over? I won't even be able to touch you."

"I don't care. For better, for worse, right?"

Half an hour later, the Pierces were packing up their car.

"Thank God you found that invite list Patrick stole from me," said Stu to Damon.

"I suppose you should have it."

"You keep it. I can't help those people where I'm going. Maybe you can. Crazy thing is I still feel bad that I'm going to miss that meeting."

"It's just going to divide people."

"People are already divided. There's no going back. All that's left is for you to choose a side." Stu left with his wife when Damon's phone beeped. As he wrote something down on a piece of paper, Emma approached him.

"It's going to be tough for them," she said.

"Touching isn't everything. Trust me."

"Well, I hope they make it."

"They will. Still thinking about what he said? About Haven? Not being safe for the Troubled anymore."

"Maybe you're right. Maybe by shooting the Rev I just made things worse."

"You did what you thought was right."

"I don't know what I think anymore."

"Emma."

"I'm serious. How am I supposed to know right from wrong if I don't even know who the hell I am anymore?"

"I know who you are. I do. Because of you, I…Never mind. I found this for you."

"Who's address is this?"

"If I'm right, it's Lucy Ripley's."

"How did you get this?"

"I've been putting together everything we learned about her over the past year." She hugged him. "I hired a P.I. in Portland."

"This is an hour away."

"If you leave now, you can be there before dark."

"Thank you."

"I hope she has some answers and I hope you come back and tell me what they are."

"Of course. No matter what she says or what happens I'm coming back." She touched his face. "I'll always come back. I promise. You're not just my partner. You're my husband."

"I'll be here."

"Yeah." Emma began to walk away. Damon turned around and so did she. She kissed him. An hour later, Emma found a woman fishing on a dock behind a residential home.

"Excuse me? Are you Lucy Ripley?"

"My God. You're really here."

"Did someone tell you I was coming here?"

"You did. Twenty seven years ago. You don't remember anything about that day?"

"No."

"I'm sorry, honey. I guess that means they found you."

"Who found me?"

"Don't know. Not sure you did either. But 27 years you arrived on my doorstep and were on the run. Scared. Asking all kinds of crazy questions. You said you had my memories."

"I did? I said that?"

"Yes. I couldn't believe it, but…"

"So I'm not you and I'm not Emma Petrova."

"I don't know who you are."

"And I told you I was from Haven, Maine."

"Yes, you said you had been staying there for a while and were helping people with strange Troubles."

"That seems to be a pattern."

"Someone died. You discovered a terrible secret, how all these Troubles started and how you could finally stop them."

"So that's why these people wanted to find me."

"No. They were trying to erase you."

"Well, they succeeded. Cause I don't remember anything you're talking about."

"You said I could never tell anyone about you. That we'd ever met. Otherwise, they'd come and erase me too. And you said the only person I could tell the story to was you if you came back. You said you'd need to know."

"Thank you."

"All these years I've been waiting. I hope I did the right thing."

"What do you mean?"

"A few months after you left, a man came here. Said there were people after you and that he could help. But there was something about him…I didn't tell him anything."

"And he was from Haven? Do you remember his name?"

"Simon something. Simon Vargas."

Later, Dwight and Dominic were looking through a silver chest his father had hidden.

"What the hell is all this?" Dominic asked, seeing weapons and a journal inside it.

"Dominic," said Emma, walking onto the ship.

"Emma."

"We need to talk."

"You're not going to believe what my father had hidden below decks."

"Your father is exactly why I'm here. Lucy Ripley. I found her."

"What did she say?"

"That she knew your father. That he visited her 27 years ago."

"Why? How did he know her?"

"I don't think that he did. I think he was looking for me." Dominic turned around and saw Dwight trying to sneak off with the box.

"Wow. Buddy. My feelings are actually hurt. What happened to honor among thieves?"

"Said I might change my mind."

"Yeah, you did. He did." Dwight hit Dominic with the case, but Dominic cut him with a knife. The blood flew onto Dominic's skin and Dominic began to collapse as his skin absorbed the blood.

"Dominic? What's going on?" Emma asked.

"I don't know," Dominic choked. Dwight attempted to hit Dominic with a crowbar, but his intended target threw him overboard with amazing force. Emma looked over the side and Dwight rose to the surface. He was okay. "Did you see what I just did?"

"You need to show me what's in that box," said Emma. He opened the box and she found a journal.

"Whatever happened it didn't last very long."

"It happened right after you cut Dwight."

"There anything in that box that might actually tell us why?"

"In this ledger, there's some names and dates." Dominic looked through the book. "You find something?"

"These last few pages. I recognize the writing. My father wrote this."

"Dominic, if you're reading this then I haven't survived," Emma read. "You are my only son, my heir. It's up to you to finish my work. You must kill her." Emma turned the page and saw a picture of Lucy. "This must be why your father was looking for Lucy Ripley. He was trying to find me."

"How'd he even know you?"

"More importantly, why'd he want you to kill me?"


	16. Invisible Man

"Well, you're a welcome sight," said Vince as Emma arrived at the Haven Herald. Angry, Emma pulled a picture of Dave off a wall comparing it to one she had and laid them on Dave's desk.

"That you?" she asked.

"That was the biggest fish I ever caught."

"And that's you too right?" She laid a picture down of Dave and a woman that looked eerily like Emma.

"I don't recall exactly." Emma threw his coffee cup into the wall.

"NO MORE LIES! All this time I've been searching for my identity and you knew who I was? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm sorry," said Vince.

"Vincent," Dave warned.

"She knows. What's the point now?"

"Why are you lying to me?" Emma asked.

"We were waiting until you were-"

"What? Ready? I'm ready now so talk. Who am I?"

"You were Lucy. Before that Sarah. Before that…we're not sure. There's a lot we don't understand. Like where you go in between the Troubles."

"How you always look the same. That you have a new person's memory each time you return," Dave added.

"The only thing that's the same is that you always help the Troubled."

"Who is Agent Howard?" Emma asked. Dave shook his head. "Great. That's great." Her phone beeped and she saw a text message from Damon. _Caught a case. Call me ASAP. _"Damnit. This conversation is not over." Emma then left.

"You told her too much," said Dave.

"She needs my help and you're not getting in my way this time."

A few minutes later, Emma arrived at a crime scene.

"We start at 9 AM in the Haven P.D. Where were you?" Damon asked, concerned.

"Who's the vic?"

"Sheila McMurton. Neighbor woke her up with three shots to the chest. He admits to the shooting. He's in some kind of shock. He keeps repeating Arlo made me do it."

"So?"

"That's where it gets interesting. Arlo was Sheila's husband."

"So an angry ex?"

"Try a dead husband."

"That's a lame stab at an insanity defense. What's the interesting part?"

"Neighbors. They heard the shots and saw Arlo leaving the house."

"Okay. If he faked his death, there's got to be some kind of digital trail."

"Emails, phone calls, bank accounts. They'll leave a record. I should make you dinner tonight."

"Sounds nice. We can talk about Lucy and everything." He nodded and kissed her. Half an hour later, Emma and Damon arrived at a cemetery.

"Arlo's estate's been settled, his credit cards cancelled," said Emma after she got off the phone.

"There's only one way for sure to find out if he's dead. Talk to the gravedigger. Excuse me. Kyle Hopkins?"

"Yeah?"

"Haven PD," Emma replied.

"I know who you are. Because of you I had to bury Reverend Driscoll, the finest man in Haven. And I know what you are," said Kyle, turning to Damon.

"You need to watch your mouth," Emma warned.

"It's a free country. His kind want to have meetings and my kind needs to call it like it is."

"I need you to dig up Arlo McMurton," said Damon.

"Got a court order?"

"You're on probation, right?"

"So?"

"So that joint you just tossed could cost you some time. Or you could dig up a grave. Your call." An hour or so later, Arlo McMurton had been exhumed. "Definitely not faking it."

"What do you think? Clones, ghosts? Zombies are trendy." Damon's phone then rang.

"Salvatore. Where? We'll meet you there. Homicide."

"Another dead guy do it?"

"No. Dead girl told her brother to do it."

Later, Emma and Damon spoke with Bruce Fresnel at the police station.

"It says here your sister Annie committed suicide over a year ago," said Emma.

"After Kurt raped her. Annie sat down right next to me and told me the truth."

"And Kurt confirmed this?" Damon asked.

"Eventually." Emma and Damon walked out of the interrogation room.

"Does it seem to you like Bruce's sister came back for revenge?" Emma asked.

"Or to tell the truth."

"Damon, Emma. Heard there was a murder on Woodland Drive," said Dave.

"At the McMurton house right? Sheila was shot three times," Vince added.

"And the killer claims to have seen Arlo McMurton."

"Could Bill and Sheila have been a couple?" Damon asked.

"Everyone knew that," Dave scoffed.

"Were they sleeping together before Arlo died?" Emma asked.

"That's what killed Arlo. Someone told him and bam! Massive coronary," Vince explained.

"So maybe the dead are coming back to settle old scores?" Emma suggested.

"And they're using the living to do it for them," Damon added.

"Our dead people had different families and different jobs."

"One died of natural causes. The other one committed suicide."

"One was Catholic, the other agnostic. And they both had funeral services at different churches."

"But both were buried at Eastside Cemetery." A few minutes later, the two arrived at the cemetery. "Emma, I know you think you know Dominic."

"I do."

"No, you don't. A couple years ago Dominic rolled back into town. Invited me to go fishing, wanted to be friends again. It felt good. I let myself believe he'd changed. And then I found out the real reason why he wanted me to go fishing. To cover for him smuggling. Figured if the Coast Guard pulled up, I could flash my badge. I was so pissed. I went after him and we beat on each other for an hour. I didn't feel it of course. Dominic didn't give a damn."

"Maybe Dominic's changed."

"You can never trust him."

"Okay. Come on. Here. Annie Fresnel."

"So Bruce's sister's grave looks untouched. Just like Arlo's."

"Everything looks normal. Cemetery normal at least. I don't get it."

"Emma."

"What?"

"You don't see them?"

"See who?"

"Dead people. All around us. There must be twenty of them. Maybe more."

"I don't see anybody. But you do? Why?"

"Maybe it's because you're immune to the Troubles."

"So ghosts are wandering the streets of Haven and I'm the only one who can't see them. Perfect."

"They're leaving."

"Where are they going?"

"Worst case, off to kill twenty more people."

"Wonderful. Looks like the dead are making their presence known."

"There's no way we can track them all. We've got to find who's causing this." Emma then saw Dominic. "Emma." Emma ignored Damon's warning and went up to her friend who explained why he was here.

"So I ended up burying the weapons box."

"Let me get this straight. You can end a Trouble?" Damon asked.

"Just have to kill someone to do it. Try not to forget that part."

"Wasn't your father buried at Seaside?"

"Seaside is eroding. They moved him here about a year ago."

"Wait. Who moved him?" Emma asked.

"Somebody from this cemetery I guess."

"We need to get ahold of the caretaker. Find out who buried who. Maybe that's our link." Damon walked off to make the call.

"Do you ever wonder why you're here?" Dominic asked Emma.

"No. That's the one thing I don't wonder about anymore. I'm here to help the Troubled."

"Doesn't it bother you that you never really solve anything? I mean, a week goes by, a month, twenty years, whatever, Troubles keep coming back and people keep dying."

"I have no alternative."

"But what if you did?"

"Caretaker said the person who moved Simon is the same guy who buried Arlo McMurton and Annie. It's Kyle Hopkins," said Damon.

"We need to find him."

"That's uh…" Dominic trailed off looking into the distance. Damon looked too, shocked.

"What do you see?" Emma asked.

"The Chief."

"Go. Go talk to him," said Emma.

"What do I say?"

"Damon, it doesn't matter what you say. You get a chance to be with your dad again. That's a gift. You don't pass that up. Go! I'll find Kyle."

"You two going to be alright?"

"Yeah. Reunions are overrated," said Dominic.

"Dying sure has a way of sneaking up on you. Hello, Damon," said Giuseppe.

"Chief. You alright?"

"Well, you get blown into a thousand pieces and tell me how you feel? I think I'm mostly in one piece. So what was the story? How did you explain my death?"

"Told people you were lost at sea. I picked up your pieces, put them in a cooler, and buried you."

"You buried me in a cooler?"

"Yeah."

"What cooler?"

"Blue one."

"What a waste of a good cooler."

"Dad, what are you doing here?"

"I don't know. I missed the rain."

"That's not why you're here."

"It's funny what you miss."

"That's not why you're here."

"I'm not back from the dead ten minutes and you're already jumping all over me?"

"I'm not-I…"

"Yeah, you are."

"Ghosts are coming back to settle scores. Is that what you're doing?"

"No. No, I don't think so. I suspect I'm here to see you, son. How are things? How are you doing?"

"I'm talking to my dead dad in a graveyard."

"Serious question needs a serious answer."

"It's getting more and more dangerous. The Troubles are everywhere. The Rev's death has people stirred up."

"Reverend Driscoll's dead?"

"Yeah. Emma shot him."

"Good for her! Good."

"You knew her when she was Lucy. Why didn't you tell her?"

"Well, think about that question for a second and tell me what I should have said to her. I don't think you appreciate just how precarious our position is here. This town is like sitting on top of a volcano and you're worried about how she feels? Come on."

"I love her, Dad."

Meanwhile, Dominic and Emma were driving to Kyle's house.

"Okay. I can't see the dead so I need you to be my eyes," said Emma.

"Perfect." Emma then had Dominic stop the car. "Why'd we stop?" Emma looked at a red X painted in the street by the front of a house.

"These have been popping up around town. I've seen a few of them."

"So?"

"Something happened here," said Emma as she noticed a broken pot and keys. They walked up the porch steps and then Dominic saw the Rev. "You okay?"

"You know what, if you want to go check out the house, I'll keep watch out here."

"Thanks." Emma entered the house.

"You better not be here to hurt her."

"I've got more important things to do," said the Rev.

"Like what?"

"Coming back for you."

"My father told me about his job. I'm not interested."

"Your father's here? Good. Come with me."

"You know what, I think I'm going to let the two of you catch up. Maybe you could hit the senior center together."

"Dominic, people followed me when I was alive. Think what they'll do for me now. Come with me or I'll take my revenge on Emma Petrova." Reluctantly, Dominic followed the Rev. A few minutes later, Damon had picked Emma up and they had arrived at Kyle's house.

"Kyle's house is coming up. I can't believe Dominic just left you there," said Damon as they walked toward the house. Kyle's wife came out of the house.

"Can I help you?" she asked. Emma noticed a red mark on her hand.

"Actually…"

"We're looking for 134 Draper Place. The Gundersons," Emma interrupted Damon.

"Don't know them. And this Bourke Street."

"Oh. I'm so sorry. I told you to ask for directions. He does this all the time." Kyle's wife walked away. "Did you see the red on her hand? It's the same color as the Xs I was telling you about."

"What do the Xs have to do with Kyle?"

"I don't know, but it's too much of a coincidence that they showed up now. Let's follow her and see if she leads us to her husband."

A few minutes later, Emma and Damon were walking in the forest and saw a group of people rounding up Troubled people into a shed.

"They're going to burn that building. People in the shed must be Troubled," said Damon.

"I guess we know what the Xs marked," said Emma.

"Oh my God. The Rev is here."

"What is Dominic doing here?" Suddenly, two people came up behind them, their guns cocked, and took Emma and Damon's weapons before moving them to their group. "Dominic, what are you doing?"

"You working with the Rev?" Damon asked.

"What? No. Of course not."

"I remembered when you preached forgiveness," said Damon.

"I'm fresh out of forgiveness," the Rev replied.

"You don't need to take orders from a dead man," said Damon to Dominic.

"Especially when you're the one who brought him back, Kyle," Emma added.

"What are you talking about?" Kyle asked.

"We talked to the caretaker. Everyone that's come back has one thing in common. You dug their graves."

"So what? I dug a lot of graves."

"They always fight the truth at first," said the ghost of Simon Vargas.

"No. Reverend, tell them it's not true."

"Then they have that moment where they realized why all their life they felt different."

"Honey, they're wrong. I swear."

"And then they start to beg."

"Marissa. Reverend Driscoll, please."

"Sorry. Can't help you, Kyle. But he can. He can save your unborn child from that terrible curse," said the Rev.

"No," said Dominic as a man put a knife in his hand.

"It's time, son," said Simon.

"Dominic, what are you doing?" Emma asked.

"You have to do it. You have to save my child from getting the curse. From me," said Kyle.

"No. We can stop this," said Emma.

"Don't listen to her," said Simon.

"She's a liar," the Rev added.

"No. She's my friend."

"Your friend killed your grandfather. Her name was Sarah then. She was Lucy when she killed me."

"Dominic, put the knife down," said Emma.

"Now she's called Emma, and she will kill you."

"No. The tattooed man is supposed to kill me."

"She doesn't have to do it with her own hands." Suddenly, Kyle ran up to Dominic and forced him to stick the knife in his stomach. Marissa grabs Kyle and Dominic got some of Kyle's blood on his hand. Kyle's curse was broken.

"Thank you. My son will be safe now."

"I know you helped her kill me, Giuseppe," said Simon.

"No. She just beat me to it. Heard she killed you too, Rev."

"At least he's got a taste of what he's capable of. That's all that matters," the Rev replied.

"She'll kill him too," Giuseppe replied.

"Not this time. She can't stop my son," said Simon.

"I have a son too. A damn good one. Take care of our girl, okay?" Giuseppe asked Damon. The ghosts then disappeared.

"Put your guns down! Now! You're all under arrest," said Emma, grabbing a gun.

That night, Emma was preparing for Damon to come home. She heard a knock on the door.

"Damon…" She opened the door and was shocked by a taser. A few minutes later, Damon arrived and saw the front door of their home was open.

"Em? Emma!" He saw a vase shattered and then saw a whistle that belonged to Dominic on the ground. "Dominic." A few minutes later, Damon burst into Dominic's quarters on his ship. "Where is she?"

"Where's who?"

"Emma. What'd you do with her!"

"She's missing? Damon, I swear I didn't do anything to her."

"You were in our house."

"No, I wasn't." Damon showed him the whistle. "Think. Why would I hurt Emma?"

"You've got five seconds. Four."

"Damon, if I was going to hurt her."

"Three."

"I wouldn't have been waiting for you." He threw Damon over his shoulder. Damon drew his gun and cocked it. Dominic had a gun taped under the table, but was shocked when he saw a tattoo on Damon's arm. It was the tattoo of the man that was supposed to kill him.

"I'm done counting." A single shot rang out.


	17. Night of the Hunter

Dominic knocked Damon's gun out of the way and grabbed his own gun hidden underneath a table. Damon tried to grab it, but Dominic fired it into wall. They punched each other and continued to fight.

"Upside of being able to not feel? I can do this all day," said Damon. Dominic then absorbed a drop of Damon's blood and pushed Damon off of him. He spotted Damon's gun, but he tackled him. Suddenly, everything metal moved to the ceiling, like a magnet. "You doing this?"

"No." They both got up.

"You just punched me across the room."

"Yes, that's true. My thing is different, Damon. When the blood of a Troubled person touches me, I can feel it. The surge. I get stronger, but this…this? Not me."

"Where is Emma?"

"I told you, man. I don't know. I wish I did. What the hell is going on? You show up with that thing on your arm. What is that supposed to mean?"

"If you're supposed to die at the hands of somebody with this tattoo, I need to be on the approved list!"

"Damon. I'm not the enemy."

"Your father, your grandfather, his father before that…they all killed Troubled people to wipe out their curses. You don't think any of them had any doubts? You just think you're special?" All the metal objects then fell to the floor. Damon's gun landed in Dominic's hand.

"I'm going to go with special." Damon tried to make a move, but Dominic cocked gun. "Damon, whoever took Emma planted that whistle in your house so you would find it and come after me. They want us to kill each other. We're playing right into their hands." He handed Damon his gun back. "I'm not my father."

Meanwhile in a basement, a man walked down stairs. Emma was being held captive, tied to a post. The man shined a light in her face so she couldn't see him.

"I'm going to ask you one more time. Where's the Colorado Kid?" the man asked.

"Go to hell." He punched her.

In town, Dwight was trying to remove a sewer grate out of a truck's engine block when Damon walked up to him, Dominic trailing behind him.

"Damon. What happened to your face?" Dwight asked.

"Ran into a door." Dwight threw the grate toward Dominic who dodged it.

"Was that intentionally hostile?" Dominic asked.

"Last time I saw you, you threw me off a boat."

"If memory serves, you were being a bad boy too that day."

"I guess I haven't learned my lesson."

"I guess you haven't learned your lesson," Dominic mocked.

"Enough," Damon ordered.

"What?" Dominic asked.

"Emma's missing. Someone took her from our house," said Damon to Dwight.

"Damon…"

"I need you to get a handle on whatever this was. The last thing I need with Emma missing is somebody's Trouble sending people into a panic."

"It looks like it was some kind of magnetic force. It picked up everything up to a couple hundred pounds. I'm blaming it on the gas line."

"Good. Handle it. Stan, I know you've got a lot of calls coming, but Emma's a priority."

"I just put the APB out."

"Good."

"Damon, another woman was abducted. Out by the Altair Bay Inn. Maybe it's connected to Emma."

A few minutes later, Damon and Dominic arrived at the inn.

"Let me do the talking," said Damon.

"Are you the police?" said a man, coming out of the inn.

"Chief Salvatore, Haven PD. Wesley Toomey?"

"They took my mother, Roslyn. Come inside. We're closed until mid-spring, but mom likes to come in and dust once a month. I was supposed to meet her."

"Your family owns the inn?"

"She inherited it from my grandfather."

"Sure she didn't just get the time wrong and go for a walk, something like that?"

"Boating accident took her leg about five years ago. She doesn't do walks anymore. The scene's exactly as I found it. Nothing been compromised. Back here." They moved toward the kitchen and saw a blood stain on the rug.

"You find blood in your house?" Dominic asked Damon.

"No."

"What are you talking about?" Wesley asked.

"There was another disappearance about two hours ago. Where were you before you came here?" Damon asked.

"I was at home."

After they left, the man approached Emma in the downstairs basement of the Altair Bay Inn.

"Ask yourself if this is how you want to die, because I'm starting to lose my patience. Where is he?"

"I already told you. He died 27 years ago. I didn't know him, I never met him. I just saw a picture. That's it."

"You're lying."

"Listen. You don't understand. There was this other woman and she looked like me and she must have known him." He grabbed Emma by the throat.

"You think I don't know you two are the same person?"

"What?"

"Stop playing games with me."

"Who are you?"

"Somebody who deserves to be told the truth. You stand there so smug and possessive. You think you're the only one who loved The Colorado Kid?" The man then left. A few minutes later, Emma heard a voice.

"Hello? Is someone there? Please. Talk to me."

"Where are you?" Emma asked.

"Oh, thank God. I think I'm on the other side of the wall from you."

"Are you hurt?"

"These ropes are cutting into my wrists. I'm scared. I don't want to die like this."

"Nobody's gonna die here, okay? What's your name?"

"Roslyn."

"Roslyn, I'm Emma. All right, I'm a police officer. I'm gonna get you out of here, I promise."

"How?"

"I don't know, but you need to not panic. All right? We're gonna just keep talking and we're gonna figure this out."

"Okay. Just promise me I can trust you."

"Listen, I'm tied up too, okay? I promise. He's been asking me information about the Colorado Kid. Did he ask you about him too? Maybe we're here for the same reason."

"Yes, I told him The Colorado Kid was a guest here, but years ago."

"Here?"

"At the Altair Bay Inn. I'm the owner. That's where we are." Emma spotted a shard of glass across the room and managed to pull it toward her with her foot. She grabbed the glass and began to cut at the rope tying her wrists. She groaned when she cut herself.

"I can do this. I just wish I was Damon right now."

"Who's Damon?"

"My husband. He's a little bit better with pain than I am."

"Talk to me. I feel like I talked your ear off. Tell me about yourself. It helps."

"I should spare you my problems. You'll be better off."

"Oh, gosh, sweetie. How bad can it be?"

"Well, for starters, the only real memories I have of my own life are from the past three years which is complicated and it's inconvenient, but it's not an impossible way to live unless someone tells me something new about my life which always seems to turn my world upside-down. I guess that doesn't make any sense, does it? Roslyn? Hello?"

"Shh. I think he's coming. What do you want? No. No! Where are you taking me?"

"Roslyn?"

"Don't hurt me! You're hurting me! No!"

"I'll tell you what you want to know. I'll tell you about the Colorado Kid! Roslyn?" Emma broke through her ropes in that moment and grabbed a scythe lying on a table. She walked upstairs and saw a phone. She immediately called Damon.

"Salvatore."

"Damon."

"Emma? Where are you? Are you okay?"

"A man took me."

"What man?"

"He has Roslyn. I've gotta find her."

"Wait, who?"

"Roslyn. She's the owner of the inn. She was with me."

"With you where?"

"I'm at the Altair Bay Inn." She then heard footsteps. "Damon, someone's here." She walked away from the phone.

"Emma? Emma? Emma!" Damon yelled on the phone.

"Damon, what?" Dominic asked.

"She's at the inn." Emma walked through the house with the scythe when Dominic grabbed her from behind, muffling her scream.

"Shh. Emma, it's me. It's me. Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"Emma," Damon called. She ran to Damon and he hugged her, kissing her forehead. "Babe, your hand."

"Damon, he's still here. I've heard him moving around and I didn't hear a car leave and I'm pretty sure that he has Roslyn."

"Slow down."

"And I promised her that nothing would happen to her. You have no idea what we went through down there."

"No, I don't. I'm sorry."

"Damon, you smell something?" Dominic asked. They walked outside and saw a body burning in a fire. It was Roslyn. Later, the paramedics had arrived. Emma was standing inside the house and Damon put a jacket around her shoulders. They went to sit on the couch in the living room.

"That guy knew that I was Lucy and he expected me to remember things about her life, events and people…feelings. He said that I…"

"That you what?"

"That I know The Colorado Kid. And according to this guy, he's still alive. Think about that."

"I can't imagine what you went through down there. I don't want you to let anything he said turn you inside out."

"Oh thank God," said Dave, entering the inn with Vince, "Emma. If there's anything we can do to help."

"You can answer my questions. Or is that gonna be a problem again for you two?"

"What do you want to know?" Vince asked.

"Guys, please. Now is not the time, okay?" Damon protested.

"No, was Lucy Ripley in love with The Colorado Kid?" Emma asked.

"We don't know," said Dave.

"I was abducted. I was tied up and beaten up by a man who knows me better than I know myself! So don't just stand there and act like you're clueless! Is The Colorado Kid still alive?"

"No. I helped bury him myself. Plot 301 in Potter's Field," said Vince.

"Damon, take me home," said Emma.

The next day, Dwight and Damon were digging up The Colorado Kid's grave.

"Sure you know what you're doing with that thing?" Dwight asked, spotting Damon's new ink.

"Protecting Emma."

"From Dominic?"

"If necessary."

"Make sure you protect yourself too. People with that mark…they're not all good."

"No, I'm not questioning your forensic work, Frank," said Emma on the phone as the boys pulled the coffin out of its grave. "I'm simply asking about the margin of error. Yeah, okay, but I was literally talking to Roslyn an hour before we found her body. There is no way that she was in that fire for four hours. Uh-huh. Okay. Okay. Can you just check it again please? Thank you. I gotta go." They opened up the coffin, but it was full of bricks.

"What?" Dave asked.

"Somebody must have moved the body," Vince reasoned.

"Maybe there was never a body to begin with," said Damon.

"Which means The Colorado Kid could still be alive," Emma added.

"He's not alive," Dave protested.

"Well, he's not here," Vince countered.

"There's something else," said Damon, seeing a message on the coffin. "Find him before the hunter."

"Who's the hunter?" Dwight asked.

"And who the hell wrote it?" Damon asked.

"I did," Emma realized. "That's my handwriting."


	18. A Soft Place To Land

"Twenty seven years ago, you're Lucy and you write this inside The Colorado Kid's Grave. 'Find him before the hunter.' Couldn't have written yourself a more specific note?" asked Dominic as he changed the back door locks on Emma and Damon's house.

"Well, it looks like I only had ten seconds to write it," said Emma, leaning on the railing of the porch.

"I gotta tell you, if I were gonna have to live multiple lives, I would have picked some place more exotic, you know? Warmer climate – Bali, Costa Rica, Hong Kong."

"I keep thinking about the man who abducted me. He said I loved The Colorado Kid."

"Who was supposedly buried twenty-seven years ago, but now his grave is empty."

"I think he's alive and I think he's on the run." They both then heard a noise.

"You expecting somebody?" She shook her head and Dominic grabbed a screwdriver on the table. He moved around to the corner of the wraparound porch, but then saw Damon. "Morning, Chief."

"What are you doing here?"

"In case you forgot, Emma got abducted. I'm changing the locks."

"Wait, you're changing the locks on my house?"

"Yeah, I'm changing the locks, but you know, then we – we got to chatting, favorite coffees, scented candles – girl talk."

"You told him everything? About the hunter?" Emma nodded.

"Yeah, we're friends. Is that a problem?" Dominic asked.

"Come on. Your dad? You ever think maybe you're the hunter, Dominic?"

"No. Never."

"Well, I guess we won't know until you kill somebody. We've got a 10-11 call. We gotta go."

"Lock the doors when you're done. Please, Dom?" Emma asked before leaving.

"Yeah."

"Stay away from her," Damon warned.

"No. But I'll tell you what I will do, Damon. I'm gonna find out who this hunter really is. I'm gonna actually do something to help Emma." Damon then left. When he and Emma arrived at a gas station, the owner of the convenience store notified them of the disturbance.

"I told the freak he was on surveillance. He didn't give a rat's ass. This guy is messed up. He's naked in my store."

"Thank you, sir. Please stand back," said Damon.

"Somebody had him chained up?" Emma asked, seeing a rope around the man's neck.

"Think he's Troubled?"

"I think he's cold."

"Could be cold."

"Give me your coat."

"He could also be dangerous. Could be contagious."

"Give me your coat."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Emmy." She opened the door and he sighed, taking off his coat.

"Hey. Are you okay? Are you hurt? You cold? Here, have a coat. It's okay." The owner then entered the store with his baseball bat. The naked man attacked him, biting him in the neck, and jumped out the store window. "Call an ambulance!" However, it was too late. He was dead. When the detectives returned to the police station, Damon ran down some leads.

"No missing violent psych patients. I'm guessing our naked biter is Troubled. Did you put out the APB? Male, Caucasian, 40s, wearing only a rope."

"Is that tranq gun ready?" Emma asked. He nodded and left just as a woman entered Emma's office.

"Detective Petrova?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm Dr. Fell."

"Can I help you?"

"Well, I was hoping that I could help you. I'm a psychiatrist."

"Oh, you know what? We actually don't even have a suspect in custody yet, so…"

"No, no. Detective, I'm here for you."

"Me? Why?"

"Officially, it's required. You were abducted and any civil employee that carries a weapon needs a psych evaluation after that kind of trauma."

"Says who?"

"Says years of psychiatric research and the town's insurance carrier. You know, there's no reason to be alarmed here."

"How old are you?"

"28. And I'm detecting something in your tone, Detective."

"Okay, let me make this perfectly clear. I'm not going to talk to you."

"Look, normally we could do this whole therapy courtship thing where you sat on my couch and we talked about the cushions for six months till you learn to trust me and then we'd get right into it but we don't have that kind of time. "

"What do you mean?"

"I know what you do for this town and if you think that you don't need therapy, well…you really need therapy."

"We found him," said Damon, entering the room.

"Damon, this is Dr. Fell. She's a shrink. We needed to talk. We did and I feel much better."

"Well, imagine how you'll feel when you come to one of the required sessions," Meredith interjected.

"That might not be such a bad idea. You did give my coat to a zombie and you almost let Dominic stab me this morning," Damon whispered, pulling her aside.

"We're going to talk about this in the car."

"Great," Damon groaned as she walked off.

A few minutes later, they approached a barn on Tor Magnusson's property. They saw a door that led downstairs open. Damon went in first, followed by Emma.

"Em." In a room, they saw loads of naked humans sleeping. Emma and Damon were shocked and quietly exited the barn. "If we use the tranq gun, the rest will hear it and come after us."

"It's not like we can start shooting them. I mean, they may be Troubled, but they are people. I wish we could just call a bunch of backup."

"And say what? We've got eight to ten cavemen in a barn? We've discovered the missing link?"

"Why do you think they're here? Shelter?"

"I don't know. Let's give it to them. At least keep them contained till we can figure out what's going on. Mr. Magnusson," Damon called.

"Yeah?"

"Can you lock that barn?"

"Lock him in?"

"Them. We need to lock them in."

"Them? Look, this isn't even a working farm. The doors don't lock. I might have some old crossbars somewhere."

"Get those," said Emma.

"I'm gonna pull the truck up. See if I can block those doors."

"I'll check the other exits."

"Be careful." After pulling up his truck, Emma and Damon walked into the barn again, having seen Magnusson's son sneak in. "Split up. We'll find the kid faster." Successfully, they rescued the kid, but lost the savages. They had all woken up and some had escaped through the open doors. One stayed behind and seemed to be gentle while another had been shot by Damon.

"How's your new friend?" Meredith asked Emma, seeing her trying to talk to the gentle savage inside the jail cell.

"Easy to talk to."

"You should try me. I can write prescriptions."

"I prefer the mute, thanks."

"Rudeness. That's a good sign. That means I'm getting to you."

"Please go social-work someone else."

"I did my undergrad at Yale and my M.D. at UConn. I am a psychiatrist, not a social worker."

"How's it going?" Damon asked.

"I haven't had a chance to examine him yet and I've been trading calls with the hospital about the other one's blood work. Damon, you mind if I shadow your wife? She's got quite the volatile temperament," said Meredith.

"Come on. Dwight's got a problem," said Damon. Later, the three of them met with Dwight and Dominic. A savage was trapped in Dwight's truck. "How'd he end up in your truck?"

"Tried to load him in the bed, but he broke free. If I'd had a little help…"

"Picking up your sarcasm," said Dominic.

"Only thing I could do was trap him in the cab. Wicked strong."

"He can't get out?" Emma asked.

"Doors are locked. No buttons inside. I don't know if he knows how to get out." Emma moved closer to the cab, but the man punched through the glass. Dwight pushed Emma out of the way as Dominic punched the man.

"You okay?" Damon asked, grabbing Emma.

"Yeah."

"Uh guys?" Dwight asked, seeing blood on Dominic's hand.

"Damnit! This is why I didn't want to get near the guy!" However, Dominic's skin didn't absorb the blood. "Nothing happened. Yes! Thank you! See? You can beat the Troubles."

"No. Maybe he's not Troubled," said Damon.

"He might not be. This guy might just be drugged out of his mind," said Meredith, looking at a report on her phone.

"What do you mean?"

"The one at the hospital. They found acepromazine in his blood. It's an animal tranquilizer."

"We never tranq-ed him."

"Even if you did, it wouldn't have been with this. They give this to dogs they're about to put down. It's liquid lobotomy. I couldn't even prescribe it."

"Who could?" A few minutes later, Damon, Emma, and Meredith arrived at Haven Animal Control. "Haven PD. Hello?"

"So you think the dogcatcher is injecting drugs into these people. That this isn't a Trouble?" Emma asked Meredith.

"It could be. I've seen drugs make people do crazy things. But honestly, nothing quite like this."

"Emmy," Damon called. She walked over and saw a man dead in a cage. "Looks like his neck is broken. He's dead."

"This is the other half of what that first savage was wearing at the gas station."

"So the dogcatcher is treating them like dogs?"

"No. This is a Trouble. The behavior, the biting, the animal drug in their systems. How could you get a man in there?" Emma asked, looking at the small cage.

"You couldn't."

"Exactly. He was in that cage when he turned into a man. These men. I think they're the dogs from this place." They heard a scream and ran over to Meredith who had discovered a body. "It looks like you found our dogcatcher. Must not be his Trouble."

"Well, most of the dogs here were probably feral, aggressive."

"They used a hammer. They killed him as men."

"Tools. If they're human, they have brand new human brains."

"So take the feral and aggressive and add getting smarter. A Troubled person has to be connected to these…dogs."

"So where did they go after they were set free? See if we can connect them to a person that way."

"First was Lambert's store."

"Yeah, I've seen feral dogs hang out there looking for food."

"So they're wild dogs going to where they know they could find food," said Meredith.

"Well, then why would they go to Tor's barn?" Emma asked.

"Tor Magnusson dropped off his dog here. 6:30. Last night," said Damon, looking at a sign-in sheet at the front desk.

"His dog is one of the men? It must be Tor's Trouble doing this."

"Or his son's. His kid was looking for the dog this morning."

"And he didn't tell him that he dropped him off here."

"Let's go see our dad of the year."

A few minutes later, they found Tor at the farm.

"Yeah, I left my dog at the pound last night to be put down."

"Anything seem weird?" Emma asked.

"Yeah. They didn't give me my medal. Look, are we done here? I'm kind of busy."

"No, we're not done. Tell us exactly what happened when you dropped the dog off," said Damon.

"You know, actually, it was kind of strange. When I went in there all the dogs are barking their heads off, you know? And then I went inside, left my dog with the other dogs, went back outside, and the barking – it just stopped. I figured maybe they only bark at visitors. I don't know. It was weird."

"Maybe that's when they changed," Emma said.

"Yeah, but why?" Damon asked.

"Sir, may I speak with your son?" Meredith asked.

"Yeah. He's inside. What's going on? What happened to the dogs?"

"Mr. Magnusson, have you heard of the Troubles? Because we think you have one. What happened to this farm? You kept animals?" Emma asked.

"My grandparents swore 'em off. They made my parents and me swear 'em off too."

"Maybe that's why. Maybe when people in your family try to slaughter animals, they become human."

"This is insane. It's a damn dog."

"Why did you get one?" Damon asked.

"It's my son's. I didn't want one. Believe me. And I had to destroy it. It had rabies."

"That means one of these men has rabies. Great."

"Hey! I can't find Liam and I think you all need to see this!" Meredith called out. They walked inside the house and saw a mess in Liam's room.

"Wait, so you think a dog man thing took my son?" Tor asked.

"Probably your dog man thing," Emma replied.

"The rabid one," Damon added.

"This isn't good. The rabies virus. It attacks the brain," said Meredith. "It makes you demented, paranoid. If he cares about Liam, if he loves him – dogs bury things they're trying to protect."

"Tor, do you know where your dog may have gone if he was trying to hide Liam?" Emma asked.

"Marcoon Hills. They start right up here behind my property."

"And go for 20 miles," Damon groaned. A few minutes later, they were searching the woods. "I've got all available units starting from the south side. They can't have gone too far."

"I've seen him run. They could've gone real far," said Emma.

"I'll try and get that helicopter again." Suddenly, the savages surrounded them. Emma urged Tor to talk to his dog and when he finally got them to calm down, the savages turned back into dogs. Tor's dog didn't make it though. The rabies killed him. A few minutes later, the group finally located Liam, using one of the others dogs to track him.

"Liam! Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Tor asked.

"No."

"How did you know that was going to work?" Meredith asked.

"I just hoped that he still had his human smarts and then with you know a dog nose, he's a pretty good searcher," Emma replied.

"You absolutely need therapy."

"Can you hear yourself when you talk?"

"I'm working on that."

"I think I'm past therapy."

"Nobody's past it."

"I've been trapped in a snow globe, I've fought shadows, and I've been almost killed by machines."

"Hadley is getting over the snow globes and Thorton…I hate going to that guy's house at night. And Louis's my Thursday. I got him into gardening instead of machines. Killer tomatoes. Well, not killer obviously. They're delicious. I think they'd be alright with me telling you all this."

"You help the Troubled?"

"You're on the front lines. I get 'em when you're done. But people like you and me, we need therapy. We take on everybody else's crazy and pretty soon we have no room left for our own."

The next morning, Dominic saw Emma walking out of her house with Cookie, the dog that had located Liam.

"Emma, I need to talk to you," said Dominic.

"Sure."

"If it were me I'd want to know."

"What?"

"The hunter. It's not a person. It's a meteor storm. It comes out of the Orion constellation. It hits every 27 years. When you were Lucy, and before that, when you were Sarah, the night of the Hunter Meteor storm is the night that you disappeared both times."

"Where did I go?"

"I don't know. You just…vanished."

"When's the next one?"

"Two months."

"Two months!"

"49 days," said Dominic as Damon's truck pulled up. Dominic left and Cookie ran up to Damon.

"Hey, buddy. So we still taking this guy for a walk?"

"Yeah." Later that day, Emma and Damon dropped Cookie off with Tor.

"Are you sure you can treat this dog well? Humanely?" Emma asked Tor as Liam played with him.

"He gave me back my son. Yeah."

"Take care of them both."

"Thank you."

"Surprised you gave him up. I kind of thought you wanted a dog," said Damon when Emma walked back to the truck.

"I did. It just…it wouldn't work out. Let's go."


	19. Getting Away With Murder

"What do we have?" Emma asked, walking onto a crime scene in the woods.

"Good morning," Damon greeted.

"Sorry. Good morning." Damon handed her a cup of coffee. "What do we have?"

"Victim's name is Greg Winfield. Went for his daily jog, stopped for a pit stop. Five minutes later his fiancée finds him dead in the woods."

"Cause of death?"

"I'll let the coroner take that."

"Dr. Lucassi's full time now?"

"Yeah, it's a perfect job for him. He hates it when his patients talk back. Show her what you found, Doc."

"Human lungs. Severed centimeters above the bronchial joint into the trachea and removed from the body, but there's no incision, dorsal or ventral."

"How did the lungs come out?" Emma asked.

"I'm thinking through his mouth."

"He expelled his lungs through his mouth?"

"Or somebody reached down his throat and ripped 'em out," Damon suggested. "Come on. I want a bigger perimeter. Let's see what else we can find in these woods." A few hours later, Emma and Damon were Damon's office.

"There's everyone in the northeast needing a lung transplant," Damon said, handing her a sheet of paper.

"You really think that this is an organ theft?"

"No, it's a Trouble. But if it's Greg Winfield's and he just coughed up his own lung, then we're done."

"The Shire Theater," Emma said, noticing two tickets on Damon's desk.

"Just give me that. Murder mystery."

"Who you taking?"

"Thought if anybody has a shot at figuring it out, it'd be us, right?" Emma smiled. "It's not for a couple months though. We don't have to go if you don't want to."

"I want to. I-I can't."

"No problem. Got the tickets on my card. I can get a refund."

"No, Damon. I can't."

"What's wrong?"

"The hunter. It's a meteor storm."

"Okay."

"It comes every twenty-seven years and when it does, I go."

"Go where?"

"I don't know. Apparently I just…vanish. It happened when I was Lucy and Sarah too.

"Okay. We can…"

"No, Damon. It's coming in forty-six days. In forty-six days, I'm gone."

"How do you know all this?"

"Dominic figured it out." Their conversation was interrupted when Dr. Lucassi rapped on the door.

"Have you guys gotten a statement from the fiancée yet?" he asked.

"No, actually, Damon was just about to do that," said Emma.

"Well, I got the labs back on those lungs. Diseased, sclerotic, barely functional."

"But the victim was jogging minutes before he died."

"Yeah, that's because the lungs that we found on the ground next to him weren't his."

"What? Let me see that." As Emma looked at the report, all Damon could think about was the bombshell she'd dropped on him. After collecting himself, Damon went into the interview room.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. This shouldn't take long. Do you and Greg always run on that trail?"

"Please. Do we have to go through it all again? I already told the other guy everything."

"What other guy?" Damon walked out of the interview room. "Emma!"

"What's wrong?"

"Somebody already questioned Sherri. Caucasian male, 35, leather jacket, called himself Mason. He could still be around here."

"That's ballsy. You think it was the killer?"

"Well, if it was, now we know what he looks like. Put an APB out. I'm going to check the building."

"Chief, we just got a disturbance call that you should hear!" yelled an officer. A few minutes later, Damon and Emma were on the road to check out a distressing call. They walked into the house, guns drawn, and saw a man standing over a body.

"Haven PD! Hands up!" Damon yelled.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Easy, easy with the triggers, people. I'm a cop, okay? I'm a cop."

"Yeah? Then you know how to get on the wall." As Mason moved to the wall, Emma examined the body.

"He's dead."

"I could've told you that. Badge is in my pocket. You wanna grab it for me?" Emma grabbed the badge.

"Mason Lockwood. Fort Lauderdale Police Department."

"That's detective. That's what the gold shield means."

"What are you doing in Haven?" Damon asked.

"Same as you. Tracking a killer. The one who snatched this guy's kidney and left him with trade-ins."

"Why didn't you check in with us?" Damon asked, grabbing Mason's gun.

"Oh, you know, I didn't, uh, I didn't want to get in the way. Listen, I'm checking in now, though. Hello. Look, two days ago some psycho reaches down a guy's throat, grabs his liver, and leaves him with a bad one. We are after the same lunatic," said Mason as Damon cuffed him. "Can I please stop kissing this corner?" They hear a creak. Damon handcuffed him to the banister of the stairway. "Oh this is great. The perp is upstairs and I'm down here handcuffed?"

"Yeah. So shh!" Emma and Damon walked upstairs. "Police."

"What's your name?" Emma asked, seeing a girl.

"Zoe."

"Did you call the police?" She nodded. "What happened downstairs?"

"Looks like she's in shock."

"Is my brother okay?" Later, Emma was briefing Meredith before she interviewed Zoe.

"Her brother saved her from her attacker and the guy removed her brother's kidneys through his throat."

"Definitely sounds like a Trouble."

"Yup."

"I'll talk to her. But what do I have to do to talk to you?"

"I saw you with Damon when I came in earlier. You can cut the tension between you two with a knife."

"Meredith. Things have changed."

"Interesting."

"Does anybody like it when their shrink says 'interesting'?"

"No. It's half the fun in saying it." Emma shook her head, walking away, and ran into Damon. "Did Detective Lockwood check out with the Fort Lauderdale PD?"

"Yeah. His boss wasn't exactly shocked he was up here. Sounds like Lockwood goes his own way."

"Have you ever had outside cops poking around Haven's Troubles before?"

"Occasionally. Sometimes we keep them," he smirked.

"And the other times?"

"We get rid of them any way we can." They walked into the jail.

"You didn't even take my laces or belt," said Mason.

"Didn't seem like the kind of guy who's gonna kill himself," Damon replied.

"Depends how long I'm in this town. You talk to my boss yet?"

"Yeah. He seemed happy to have you out of Fort Lauderdale."

"Yeah. We're in a difficult place in our relationship. You spoke to the girl? She said I didn't attack her, right? So that takes me off your suspect list."

"But not the working outside your jurisdiction list," said Emma, opening the jail cell door.

"You're funny. I like you." He turned to Damon. "Not so sure about you yet."

"I'll live. Tell us what you know about the killings."

"I'll be expecting a little consideration when I'm done. Like what you know."

"We'll see."

"The victim in Fort Lauderdale, one who had his liver ripped out…he was my trainee, Paul. He was a good kid, came up the hard way, we really understood each other."

"What led you to Haven?"

"Witnesses. They saw a man, medium build, leaving the scene. Only saw him from behind, but they did see the jacket he was wearing." He showed them a drawing.

"East Haven Sea Dogs."

"Doesn't explain how you beat us to the victims here," said Emma.

"I've been monitoring your dispatch ever since I got into town. Look, you guys should really consider upgrading to a higher frequency. So, your turn. What do you know about this sick puppy?"

"Look, I can appreciate you have a personal stake in this case," said Damon.

"Listen. He is now a multi-state, serial killer, which means he belongs to the FBI, not you. Fortunately, I'm not a big fan of the Feeb, so I'm not going to call 'em either. That's of course if we can be partners. So what do you say? It's your call. Partners?" Suddenly, a man screamed. The three cops rushed outside and saw Zoe on top of a guy. She was gasping for air. Mason knocked her out with a sharp punch to the head.

"She's probably on PCP. Makes them unstoppable."

"Yeah, PCP," Damon agreed, shooting Emma a look. "Well, I think we know who killed her brother."

"Her brother maybe, but like I said, my trainee was killed by a man."

"We have two killers," said Emma. "And one of them is still out there." Later, Emma and Damon met Meredith at the hospital.

"Any idea when Zoe might wake up?" Emma asked.

"Doctors aren't sure that she will. One by one, her organs keep on failing."

"Lucassi confirmed the diseased lungs and kidneys we found came from the same person," said Damon after getting off the phone.

"So maybe they're one of our killer's organs. Maybe his Trouble makes his organs fail and then he has to have healthy ones."

"Well, if you need an organ the best match comes from family," said Meredith. "The closer the better and the Troubles run in families."

"So what?" Emma asked. "He's hunting family members to harvest their organs?"

"If the attack succeeds, he gets the organ and the victim dies," Damon said "But if the victim gets away like Zoe did, then their Trouble is triggered…"

"And they need new organs," Emma caught on. "So does this mean that Mark and Zoe are related?"

"Let's find out. Stan, you got a second?" Damon called. "How's Mark?"

"They got him hooked up to a lot of machines. His kidneys are failing."

"Is there any family connection between Mark and Zoe?"

"Not on our side. I mean, on his dad's side, maybe, but we'll never know. My sister used a sperm donor."

"Code Blue, Room 206," said a nurse over the intercom.

"That's Mark's room. Sorry, Chief."

"Go."

"I'll go with him," said Meredith.

"Hey, you know, Paul used to go on all the time about how he was gonna find his real father someday. His mom used a sperm donor too," said Mason, walking into the room.

"That's the link," Emma realized.

"You guys have a fertility clinic in this little town?"

"Yup. We even got a few traffic lights too," Damon replied. A few minutes later, they arrived at the clinic and talked with the female director.

"All your victims were conceived with our help, but they were all fathered by different donors."

"Well, there must be some connection," said Damon.

"Well, nothing I can see here. Maybe it's a coincidence."

"Paul's mother confirmed that she used this clinic when she lived in Portland. No way that's a coincidence. Maybe your records are wrong. There's this case in Cambridge. Fertility doctor. He substituted his own sperm for his donors. Fathered an insane amount of kids that way, all off the books," said Mason.

"Well, clearly I haven't done that."

"No, but maybe someone who worked here? If he doctored the records, no one would ever know the kids were his," Damon replied.

"We're gonna need to see your employee files over the last twenty-five years," said Mason.

"Children too," Emma added.

"I can give you the employee records, but not the patients."

"Doctor-patient privilege, I know," Damon interrupted. "I will get you a court order. Start packing up the files please." The director walked away. "Go with her and make sure she's not holding back."

"Yes, sir," Mason replied.

"What does he think about all this?" Emma asked.

"That we're just chasing some normal sicko. Wouldn't that be nice for a change?"

"Okay. So if our guy fathered all the victims he must have known that his organs would fail when the Troubles returned."

"And he wanted to have a supply of matching donors. How many kids could he have fathered?"

"We have to protect them. Any one of them could be next."

"These kids could have kids of their own. If their Troubles trigger…"

"They'll start harvesting the organs of their relatives. We've got to break this cycle." Later, the two cops had gone through all the files. "So we were right. All the victims came from the same clinic."

"Our guy had to have access to the lab to swap the sperm samples," said Damon. "It's twenty five years' worth of custodial staff, handymen, temp workers."

"I got a list of twenty nine kids here all conceived at the clinic, still living in Haven."

"And dozens of others scattered around the country."

"All of them could have been fathered by our guy. But how does this Trouble work? How does he get the organs out of the victims' bodies without damaging them?"

"Maybe that thing we saw in Zoe's throat when she attacked Mark was like…some kind of tube he uses to suck out the organs?"

"And then he spits out the diseased ones. That's new."

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Mason asked. "Do you seriously think that this guy is some kind of chupacabra organ sucker? It's a wonder you solve any crimes."

"Knock, knock," said Dominic. "Is this a bad time? Because I'm feeling some awkward cop tension."

"Not now," Damon groaned.

"Hi, Damon. It's nice to see you too but I'm actually here 'cause Emma called."

"Why?"

"I need his help, Damon." Emma and Damon walked to a corner to talk privately.

"What are you doing?"

"We've got twenty nine people to track down before this guy gets to them."

"And I have every cop in the department on his way in. We don't need him."

"We need all the help we can get."

"Listen, I don't know what's going on with you and Dominic, or what he said to you, but whatever it is we'll fix it. We will. Without him."

"Just give me the list of kids. Please, Damon. We are running out of time."

"Em." She grabbed the sheet and pushed him out of the way. She walked away with Dominic.

"Okay. I'm all ears and if I get the slightest sense that you're snowing me, I'm bringing in the FBI, the staties, and TMZ," said Mason.

"There are some things you should know about this town." Across town, Emma and Dominic exited her car.

"You know when I said I would help you, I was thinking, in my mind, something fun. Maybe involving fruity mixed blender drinks," said Dominic.

"If you don't want to do this…"

"Hey, I'm here. You know the freaky thing about you, Emma, is finding some guy who's hunting his kids is your idea of fun."

"That's the freaky thing about me?" Emma knocked on the door of a house.

"How many names on that list?"

"This is the third one, but we've got a ways to go. We're looking for a Miriam Lacroix. She's seventeen, brown hair…"

"Is that her?" Dominic asked, seeing Miriam talking to man on street with a Sea Dogs jacket.

"Sea Dogs. Let's go. Police!" The man took off in his car, leaving Miriam. Emma shot at the car and then noticed Miriam shaking.

"Can you hear me? Are you okay?" Dominic asked.

"She's not gonna be," Emma muttered. Meanwhile, Damon had just finished explaining about the Troubled to Mason.

"Troubled? I've seen a hell of a lot. I really have, but this…this is a first," said Mason.

"We are not crazy."

"No. I don't think you're crazy. Been doing this long enough where I can spot the crazies. Usually. I've seen all kinds of evil and depraved things that people do. Got some other cops that I know. They reach for the bottle or for drugs or even God. You and your partner need to believe there's something supernatural going on. Hey, whatever. But it better not get in my way." The phone rang.

"Salvatore. Emmy, slow down. XNZ231. Got it. She got a plate. Harry Nix. It's, uh, 2232 Magnolia Drive."

"Got him," said Mason, plucking a file out of the box. "Harry Nix, 48. Worked at the clinic up until six years ago."

"He's our guy. Try and seal him in. I'll put out an APB. We'll get what we can here and meet you there," said Damon to Emma on the phone. At 2232 Magnolia Drive, Emma and Dominic were checking out the grounds.

"There's no sign of Nix in here," said Emma.

"It's all clear in the back."

"He's packed up and gone. He was probably planning ahead in case we tipped to one of his victims."

"Find a souvenir?" Dominic asked, seeing her holding a picture frame.

"Need a current photo for the APB."

"Oh." He looked at the photo. "This guy has a family? And he's taking his kids with him."

"His organs are failing. He might need 'em."

"For parts." A few minutes later, Damon and Mason arrived.

"Nix's whole family disappeared when he was twenty-one," said Damon. "1983."

"Last time the Troubles were here," said Dominic.

"You too huh?" Mason asked.

"It's contagious. And he probably killed them."

"One of his organs is failing," said Damon. "He's not going to get far without getting another one."

"If I'm him, I go for my nearest donor," said Emma.

"So he can suck out their organs with his demon tongue?" Mason asked skeptically. "That's it. I'm calling the feds. Tell 'em to put a net around this guy." Damon takes his phone. "Hey!"

"Feds wouldn't know how to handle this. We do."

"And every second we stand here arguing about it, Nix gets further away," Emma added.

"You want that on your head?" Damon asked.

"You're lucky I hate the Feds. If this guy gets away, it will be the least of your worries," said Mason, taking back his phone.

"Closest offspring are here and here," said Damon, pointing to a map.

"The guy packed a damn lunch," said Dominic.

"I don't think he's gonna go after his own kids first," said Emma. "Not unless he has to."

"They're his last resort. Otherwise he would have killed them already," Damon added.

"All right. So we play our odds. Dominic, you and I, we're gonna take Draper Street," said Emma.

"We got Curry. Let's go." A few minutes later, Emma pulled up to a house.

"Damon, we're here at the Draper house. His minivan's here."

"We'll be right there." Emma hung up.

"We can't wait for them." They exited the car and walked up to minivan. "Haven PD."

"Is everything alright?" asked Mrs. Nix.

"We're looking for your husband. Do you know where he is, Mrs. Nix?"

"Your son. Where is your son?" Dominic asked, having done a headcount on the kids.

"They just went for a pit stop in the woods. That's not illegal, is it?"

"He's in the woods!" Emma yelled as Damon's truck pulled up. They all ran for the woods.

"Hey!" Damon yelled as Nix was about to attack his son. Damon pushed him away from the kid.

"You okay?" Dominic asked. "This kid's going into shock, just like the others."

"Help. I don't want to die," said Nix.

"Get Mason and the boy out of here please," said Emma.

"Why?" Damon asked.

"I only need Dominic."

"Why? You should have told me."

"You would've tried to stop me."

"You don't know where this ends."

"I know that it saves lives today, Damon. And countless others down the line. Please just take them and go." Damon took Mason and the kid. "I'm sorry, Dominic. I really am."

"You didn't need me to help find him. You needed me to kill him."

"There are scores of other kids out there that aren't just going to die. They are going to kill their families too. You are the only one that can stop that."

"You have no right to put this on me."

"His organs are failing. He's going to die. There's nothing we can do about that, but you can kill his curse before he goes." She hands him her gun.

"What is that? No! The entire time that I was helping you…you were planning this."

"No. Not at first. But then I saw those photos of all of those kids at the fertility clinic, all of those kids that would die, or worse, and I knew. I knew that you were the only answer. So I thought if you could see the kind of monster that we were dealing with…"

"That I'd want to become one too? This wasn't your decision to make."

"You're right. Walk away. Whatever happens I'll deal with it."

"Yeah, you're damn right you will." Dominic walked away. Later, Emma met with Damon and Mason at the morgue.

"Are all of these Nix's victims?" Emma asked.

"Yeah. He's been busy. Teams we sent to search for his offspring found them. At least now we know what to look for. What are you going to tell your Captain?" Damon asked Mason.

"Am I going to tell him what I saw up here?"

"Be better for us if you didn't," said Emma.

"Better for me too. I make enough waves at home. No upside in trying to explain all this. Good working with you two. It's a cool little town you got here once you get used to it."

"You ever get tired of Fort Lauderdale, give me a call," said Damon. "We could always use a good cop."

"Yeah. I'll do that." Mason walked away.

"There's more," said Damon to Emma. "Show her." Lucassi revealed a female body that was missing a nose.

"Whoa. Did Harry do that?"

"No. She's not missing any of her internal organs and her nose has been surgically removed."

"That doesn't fit Harry's M.O."

"The way she was killed doesn't match either," said Damon. Lucassi showed Emma an x-ray.

"What caused that?" she asked.

"Bolt gun. Normally used to put down livestock." Lucassi put up another x-ray.

"An identical wound. What? Who's that?"

"Roslyn," Damon answered.

"Roslyn? The woman who was killed by my abductor? But I thought she was burned."

"To try and hide how she died, I think. Whoever abducted you is doing this."

"He's still here. But why? Me, Roslyn, The Colorado Kid, and now…facial mutilation? What is he after?"

"We'll find out. I promise." Emma began to walked away. "Emmy."

"No, just…" She walked out the door. Damon caught up with her in the hallway.

"Emma, wait. I've been waiting for a chance to talk to you alone."

"I really don't want to talk right now."

"And I get that, but we need to."

"Damon, you need to understand that I…"

"But I don't understand. I don't have any idea where your head's at. You're going away in forty-six days, but you don't want to fight it? And instead, you ask Dominic to start killing people and you don't even talk to me about it. That's what I don't understand. Why…why won't you talk to me?"

"Talk to you? Like you told me about the tattoo that you got just so that you could kill Dominic!"

"I was trying to protect you."

"Well, don't!" Angry, Damon bumped past Emma. Later that evening, Emma finally talked to Meredith. "And then he just walked away."

"Angry. Confused."

"Very."

"Do you feel like you could have handled it any better?"

"No. It went…perfectly."

"You pushed him away on purpose."

"Damon would never have stopped trying to save me."

"And you're trying to protect him."

"Yeah. Lucy loved The Colorado Kid and it cost him everything."

"You're afraid that's what's going to happen to every man that you love."

"Not if I don't let it." Her phone rang with a text. Emma was shocked by the message.

"What's wrong?"

"I got to go." A few minutes later, Emma walked into Dominic's bar.

"Got some good news. Stan's nephew recovered and so did Connor and Zoe and Miriam. But I bet you already knew that. Dominic, what happened back there?"

"I think you know what happened." Dominic walked away, tears in his eyes.


	20. The Water

"And then he scalped her," said Damon, looking at a body near a bank ATM with Mason.

"Killed with a bolt gun," Dr. Lucassi confirmed.

"Think one of your 'Troubley' people did this?" Mason asked.

"Back of the head. Just like the other two. This isn't a Troubled person. Three women. All killed the same way. Haven's got itself its first serial killer."

"First the nose. Now a scalp. Taking trophies. "

"I was surprised you changed your mind about joining up. You're not already regretting it, are you?"

"Kidding me? This crazy stuff is exactly why I stayed. Good thing our killer's ink is in a different place. Otherwise you'd have some explaining to do. What's the symbol mean anyway?"

"It's a townie thing. Can you take point on this?"

"You want me to hold the scene down for Emma?"

"No. Catch her up later."

"Surprised she's not here. Her day off?"

"No days off in Haven." At an office, Meredith was attempting to try hypnosis on Emma.

"Think back. It's 1983. You're Lucy. You're on the beach with this necklace. You're holding Dominic's hand."

"Dominic's only eight," said Emma.

"What do you remember from that day?"

"This is stupid," Emma scoffed.

"It's not stupid. It's regressive hypnotherapy. And I blew three days on the web trying to figure it out."

"I thought you learned this in medical school."

"You kidding? Yale thinks this past-life hypnosis stuff is all bull."

"Then why are we doing it?"

"Because whether Yale wants to believe it or not, You've had a past life. Several, actually. And desperate times require desperate measures."

"It's been three sessions and I don't remember anything."

"Regression is weird. You never know what is gonna trigger a memory. We kind of just got to wait."

"I don't have time to wait."

"Do you want to talk about that?"

"No. There's nothing to talk about."

"How are things between you and Damon after your talk? Does he know you pushed him away?"

"No. But it's better that way. Until I find out more about what happened to the Colorado Kid…Damon's safer."

"And Dominic? How are things between the two of you after what happened?"

"Harry Nix was a monster who was Troubled and he would have killed hundreds of people."

"It doesn't mean it was an easy decision to kill him."

"Listen, I know what I asked Dominic to do wasn't fair, Meredith. But I did what I had to do and I did what I could do. I am running out of time, okay? In a little over a month, I disappear. And there are still so many people that I need to help."

"You're only one person, Emma. You can't save everyone."

"But I have to try." A few minutes later, Emma was called to a scene at the community pool.

"My wife said I had to learn to swim. Said it was dangerous I couldn't in a town surrounded by water."

"You're sure you didn't see what attacked your teacher?" Emma asked.

"Piranhas. The Lock Ness Monster."

"Frank, have you ever had anything like this happen to you near the water?"

"What do you mean?"

"Does anyone in your family have…issues with water?"

"My mother and father are sailors. They love the water."

"Okay, so what can you tell me about your teacher?"

"Not much. She wasn't my regular teacher. She just took over when Daphne didn't show." Emma then noticed Dominic enter the building.

"What are you doing here?" Damon asked.

"Heard there was a monster in the pool. Thought I'd come check it out you know. Concerned citizen and all."

"Dominic, what are you doing here?" Emma asked.

"He was just leaving," said Damon.

"Just staying."

"This is a police investigation. You're not a cop."

"Well, you wanted my help the last time. Isn't that right, Emma?"

"We don't even know that it's a Trouble," Emma replied.

"Yeah, we do." He walked toward the other end of the pool.

"He just shows up? Thinks he can do what he wants? He just killed a guy," said Damon.

"Only because I asked him to."

"Are you sure about that? When he transforms, he gets a rush. You've seen it yourself."

"He didn't ask for what happened to him."

"That doesn't mean he's not gonna learn to like it." Damon then walked away and when he arrived at his office, Dave and Vince were sitting by his desk.

"I know. Monster in the pool," Damon sighed.

"Monster?" Dave asked.

"Pool?" Vince further questioned.

"Never mind," Damon replied. "What's up?"

"We came by the ATM this morning. Detective Lockwood wouldn't tell us what happened," said Vince.

"Well, finally, someone who knows what 'police investigation' actually means."

"The killer who abducted Emma. He murdered another woman, didn't he?" Dave asked.

"What did he cut off this time?" Vince further questioned.

"I think I'm gonna follow Mason's lead on this one," Damon smirked.

"We just want to help," said Dave.

"Okay. Tell me about the tattooed people."

"You think they had something to do with the killings?"

"The days of one-way information flow are over. You wanna get, you're going to have to give."

"They've been in Haven for generations," Vince admitted. "Call themselves 'The Guard.'"

"They refuse to let the Troubled be victimized," Dave added.

"And they won't hesitate to kill to protect them."

"How do I contact them?" Damon asked.

"It's not like they have a clubhouse," Dave replied.

"One of them works at The Gun & Rose. Lunch shift. Look for Sage."

"Now how hard was that?" Damon asked.

"Your turn, Damon," Dave reminded.

"The serial killer has the tattoo."

"How do you know?"

"Nope. That's all you get. Leave it alone. I'm serious." Meanwhile, Emma was talking to Meredith in her office.

"Frank came to see me a couple months ago. Most extreme case of hydrophobia I've ever seen," said Meredith.

"Is he Troubled?"

"It never came up. I did all I could for him on dry land, then I sent him to Daphne at the swim center. She has a way with the…scaredy-cats. Oh and you left this at my place. I didn't want you to think you lost it." Meredith handed her Lucy's necklace. Emma gasped as she was accosted by a memory. "Emma?"

"What?"

"You totally zoned out. You could have had a small seizure."

"No. I remembered. That day on the beach, I actually remembered it."

"That's great."

"I was Lucy. I could feel being Lucy. That's never happened to me before," said Emma before Damon walked in.

"Okay, Em. Got to go. Hey, Damon."

"Meredith." Damon handed her a bag.

"A tooth," Emma noted.

"From a Porbeagle shark. Lucassi dug it out of Alice's leg."

"Attacked by a shark in a pool. It's a Trouble all right."

"Does Meredith think Frank's Troubled?"

"She's not sure. But she did say he's just gotten out of the hospital so we should talk to him."

"So how's it going with Meredith?"

"Good, good. Did you get an ID on the woman at the ATM?"

"Yes. Mary Smith. 24. Her family says she has no connection to the victims and they swear she's not Troubled."

"Who's this tattooed person and why is he killing these women? And why would they abduct me?"

"That's exactly what I plan on asking. I found out they call themselves The Guard. One of their members works at the Gun & Rose Diner out on Route 10."

"And you think they're just gonna talk to you because you have the tattoo now?"

"It's worth a try."

"You don't even know what it means."

"Then I fake my way through it."

"Damon, it's dangerous. Would you just, please…would you be careful?" Emma asked about to touch him, but she stopped. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah. Me too." Emma followed Damon outside and saw Dominic. "What does he want?"

"He said he wanted to be involved."

"Yeah, well, don't always get what we want."

"You gonna tell him about that other thing? You gonna tell him about The Guard?"

"No. I don't want him anywhere near that."

"Someone with the tattoo is gonna kill him one day."

"About time," said Dominic. "The Scooby van was about to leave without you two."

"Dominic, I know what you did saved lives, but I know you, and I don't trust that that'll be the end of it," said Damon.

"Damon, I don't think this is about you not trusting me. I think you're pissed because Emma does." Suddenly, they heard a woman's scream and the rushing of water. They ran down to the corner and saw a wave rush over a car.

"There's someone in there," said Damon. They ran to the car. "Hey, you okay? Sir, are you okay?"

"I was just driving along," said Mr. Harris. "Where did that water come from?"

"Looked like a broken water main," said Damon.

"But the fish? There are fish in my car."

"Rock cod. It wasn't a shark," said Dominic.

"Mr. Harris, do you know a Frank Bentley or an Alice Hargrove?" Emma asked. "She works at the swim center."

"I don't know either of them. I hate the water and I never go to the swim center."

"Looks like you cut yourself," Damon noticed. "You should get that checked out."

"No, it's fine. Look, I just live around the corner. I just want to go home, get out of these wet clothes, and pretend none of this ever happened."

"That is the Haven way," said Dominic as Emma's phone rang.

"Petrova. Yeah. We'll be there in five. Frank, the guy from the pool. He's dead."

"We should get on this," said Dominic, heading for his car.

"I'm going to kill him," Damon seethed. "Mr. Harris, we'll have the car towed. But I want you down at the station as soon as you get cleaned up. We need to talk more."

"Sure."

"Wife found him collapsed against the wall of the shower still on his feet," said Dr. Lucassi to Damon when he arrived at the morgue.

"Hit his head somehow?"

"But there's no contusions. And check this out. His lungs are full of water. So how does a grown man drown standing up in the shower?"

"Dominic and I just talked to Frank's wife," said Emma, entering the autopsy room with Dominic. "She said he definitely wasn't Troubled. But she did give us some information about Daphne, the missing swim teacher. She said that Frank had been calling her all morning and wasn't able to reach her."

"Think she's another victim?"

"Or she's the one who started it," Dominic said.

"Did you deputize him or something?"

"Hey. Good idea, buddy."

"Don't call me buddy."

"We should go over to Daphne's house, okay? There might be some clue there where she's gone. Maybe she had something to do with this," said Emma.

"You stay there," said Damon to Dominic before turning to Emma. "Come with me."

"With the dead body?" Dominic asked. "Fine."

"I can't go if I'm gonna make it to the Gun & Rose in time," said Damon when he and Emma walked out into the hallway.

"Listen, I'll take Dominic with me all right? That way I can figure out why he's following us around."

"I'm guessing he's still pissed about Harry Nix. That you didn't trust him enough to tell him what was going on." Damon walked away and Emma caught on to his message.

"I am so enjoying how unhappy he is," Dominic smirked.

"This is Daphne's cell phone number. First assignment, if you want to be part of the team, is to call her. And keep on calling her until she picks up." A few minutes later, they arrived at Daphne's house. "So you're really just following us around to piss Damon off."

"Icing on the cake."

"I'm serious, Dominic. After what happened, I would have thought you had enough of the Troubles for a while."

"You looking for Daphne?" a neighbor asked.

"Detective Emma Petrova, Haven PD."

"Bob Harmon. I just live next door."

"Daphne didn't show up to work today."

"And she's not answering her phone," Dominic added.

"Come to think of it, I didn't see her car when I got in last night. It's a green sedan. She usually just parks it in the driveway."

"Does she have a boyfriend or anywhere else she might spend the night?" Emma asked.

"Not that I know of but she did just get a new job selling pharmaceuticals. She travels all over the county. I suppose she could have spent the night at a hotel, but you know, it's not like her not to keep in touch."

"You okay?" Dominic asked, noticing the guy was scratching himself.

"Yeah, I'm okay. It's just…I'm itchy. It's like I got something crawling all over me. What the…Oh my God!" Bugs were crawling all over him. Meanwhile, Damon was having coffee at the Gun & Rose Diner."

"More coffee, Chief, or can I talk you into some pie?" a redhead asked.

"Coffee. Thanks, Sage." She noticed his tattoo.

"Maybe just the check."

"Have a seat."

"Am I in some sort of trouble?"

"Just looking for some information."

"Let me guess. You got the tattoo just to be cool and you have no idea what it means."

"I didn't get it to be cool."

"Then why?"

"Back when the Rev tried to divide the town, made me realize I had to pick a side. So I got this to show which one I chose."

"Good for you. We done?"

"Do you people have a leader? I want to meet him."

"We don't talk to outsiders."

"I bust my ass every day, trying to help the Troubled. That doesn't count for something?"

"Tattoo or not, you're still a cop."

"Are you doing something illegal?" His phone then rang. "Hey. Be right there."

"Well, it's been fun. Have a nice life."

"I'd like to talk to you again."

"Cause this went so well."

"Your people don't want me as an enemy."

"My people can handle it."

"You sure about that?"

"Place closes at ten. Come back then if you have to." When Damon arrived at Daphne's house, he saw an ambulance leaving.

"How's Daphne's neighbor?" he asked.

"Where you been?" Dominic asked.

"None of your business. What do you got?"

"No permanent damage," said Emma. "We're trying to find a connection between the victims and the only thing we've come up with is this mysterious woman, Daphne, the swim teacher. Daphne worked with Alice. Frank was her client and Bob was her neighbor."

"What about the guy with the fish in his car?"

"Reed Harris."

"He said he didn't know anyone at the swim center."

"Maybe he knows her but somehow he just hasn't made the connection.

"Or maybe he lied," said Dominic. Damon called the department.

"Stan, has Reed Harris come in to give his statement yet?" He then ended the call. "Harris never came in. Stan hasn't been able to reach him."

"All right. So no luck with Daphne," said Dominic. "Let's go after Reed." He headed to the car. Damon was about to say something, but Emma interrupted him.

"Just let him help," said Emma to Damon. "We owe him."

"There is no we. You made that perfectly clear. The only one who owes him is you." When the three arrived at Reed's house, they heard Reed by the back door.

"Help!"

"Over here," said Emma. "Mr. Harris, can you hear me?"

"I need an ambulance at 147 Berkeley. Victim's a male suffering extreme blood loss."

"It's barely a scrape. Shouldn't be bleeding that much," said Dominic, handing Damon a towel.

"Careful with the blood. The last thing we need is you turning all silver-eyed."

"It's not the Troubles. It's karma," said Harris. "Payback. For killing her."

"Killing who? Who did you kill?" Emma asked.

"The car. I didn't see it until it was too late. I swerved, but…she went over the edge into the ocean. I know I should've stayed, but I was scared."

"Can't wait for that ambulance," said Damon. "I got a first aid kit in the truck.

"Mr. Harris, you need to hang on. Help's on the way. Mr. Harris? Mr. Harris! He's gone. Okay. Reed hated the water. Maybe the guilt of him causing this woman to die in the ocean, maybe that triggered his curse? No. That doesn't add up. What about Daphne?"

"Whatever his curse was, it's over now," said Dominic.

"Maybe it's not Reed. Maybe it's Daphne. Maybe it's her car that went over the cliff. If I'm right, Daphne's desperate to be saved and her Trouble is bringing her worst fears to life."

"So anytime Daphne thinks about a potential rescuer, they experience whatever's happening to her?" Damon asked.

"Yeah. Alice at the swim center. And Bob was her neighbor. Both people she thought would notice her missing first."

"And then she must have thought that Reed would have a change of heart and tell the police where she was."

"But he didn't and she bled out which must be an injury she suffered from in the crash. We need to use what she's projecting as clues. So we know she's probably on Cliff Road."

"There's only four turnouts without guardrails. That's still over a ten-mile stretch. Porbeagle sharks like cold water which means she's near one of the deeper bays. Only one of which has a cliff with a wash zone at its base. I know where she is, but we need to go before the tide comes up," said Dominic.

"Let's go," Emma replied. A few minutes later, they arrived at the crash site. "I can't believe she could still be alive down there."

"If she is, it's not for long. The tide's coming up. I'll go first. If she sees me, I'm immune." Emma used the rope to jump down to the rocks and saved Daphne from the tide. That night, Damon had a drink at the Gun & Rose Diner.

"That's not bad for a diner," said Damon after taking a sip.

"Private stock. 18-year single malt. From Japan," said Sage.

"Sounds like something Dominic would smuggle in."

"We don't associate with Vargas."

"No. I don't suppose you would."

"Well, now that the chitchat portion of our evening is over, why are you here? Why get inked with a symbol you know nothing about?"

"I know it's worn by the Troubled. I know my father had one."

"Giuseppe Salvatore didn't have a tattoo."

"Chief wasn't my biological father. A guy named Max Hansen was."

"Max? Wow. We didn't know that."

"You ever run into him?"

"Before my time."

"What's with the gloves?"

"Well, you're right about one thing. You don't get the tat unless you're Troubled." She removed one of her gloves.

"So?"

"Pain. Terrible, searing pain. One touch and you're doubled over on the floor, wishing you'd never been born."

"Can you control it?"

"Of course not. I can't touch anyone without them. I haven't been able to for years." Damon grabbed her hand. "Stop. What are you doing? You don't feel it?"

"No. I don't feel anything ever. That's my Trouble."

"Can I have my hand back, please?"

"I'm one of you and I want to help. I'll prove you can trust me."

"How?"

"You tell me."

"Do the cops know you're doing this?" Sage asked after Damon let go of her hand.

"No. This is personal."

"I'll talk to my people."

"You do that."


	21. Shadow

"So you saw the Colorado Kid, a creepy barn, and your old boss who told you to stop remembering in a dream last night?" Meredith asked.

"Yeah, and so far, it's worked. I haven't had a new memory since and I'm afraid that the ones I do have are gonna start to fade."

"Do I have to do the whole 'you're freaked out and it's blocking you, and if you just let go, it'll eventually come back' speech?"

"Yeah, let's not do that."

"Good. We need to get those memories out of your head and into the real world the way a cop would."

"You think I should make a facial composite of the Colorado Kid?"

"Well, I was gonna say that thing they do on cop shows where they make a face with a computer, but yeah." Emma's phone then beeped.

"I'm sorry. Can we meet later?"

"Sure." A few minutes later, Emma met Damon in an apartment building.

"Vic's name is Jason Dooley. Neighbor heard screams, called it in. Took Haven fire department five minutes to break the door down. Dooley was crashing by the time they loaded him on the ambulance and won't know till we get the labs back, but I'm assuming the blood all over here is not the attacker's."

"They took his eyes out with a spoon. His eyes. You're not gonna say it?"

"We don't know enough yet."

"Come on, Damon. We have three vics – two with missing body parts. This could be the bolt-gun killer."

"There's no shortage of people who would want to hurt this guy. Dooley's well known to Haven PD. He's a creep. Shoots up-skirt videos, makes a living posting 'em online."

"Why isn't this guy in jail?"

"Knew how to work the system, slip through on technicalities. If the person who took you did this, we'll get him. I know how important that is to you."

"Hey, Chief, Dooley's stable," said Stan from the hallway.

"He's alive?"

"Which means we have a witness who saw the bolt-gun killer." A few minutes later, Emma and Damon spoke with Dooley.

"Before the attack, you didn't catch a glimpse of anyone? And you're sure he didn't have any kind of gun?" Emma asked.

"It was fast. I barely had time to scream."

"But you're sure it was a person?"

"What else would it be?"

"Haven fire department had to break down your door to get through your dead bolts. You have any idea how your attacker made it in?" Damon asked.

"No. I told you. It's impossible. I even have motion sensor alarms for when I'm gone." The nurses then took Dooley away for surgery.

"Bolt gun killer's been surgically removing body parts. Dooley's wounds aren't precise at all. He's not going to come after you again."

"You know what? I wish that he would. He knows more about me than I do. He knows about the Colorado Kid. I've been trying everything but I am running out of time."

"Em."

"No, I even called the Feds and I asked them to send me any murder that fits the profile. If we miss a victim, then…"

"Em." She sighed. "The bolt gun killer has the tattoo. He's one of The Guard and I'm getting in with them."

"Damon, it's not going to be easy to convince them to accept the Chief of Police."

"Well, I already have a contact. Name's Sage Mikaelson and she's starting to trust me. I'm gonna do whatever it takes. You know that, right?"

"I know," said Emma as Damon's phone beeped.

"Tech pulled a partial image off Dooley's hard drive. He had a security app. It's only a single frame, but here's our suspect." He showed her a picture of a woman's torso in a white dress.

"Definitely not the bolt-gun killer." When Emma and Damon arrived at the station, Mason and Dominic were in Damon's office.

"He's been here. All night," Mason chuckled before leaving.

"There a fight at The Gull?" Emma asked.

"No. I was attacked at The Gull," Dominic replied. "This chick is stalking me. Slashed my tires, keyed my truck. Now, not my first rodeo. She expressed her anger. Usually that's all they want. But this woman teleported herself inside The Grey Gull, threw me across the room, then trashed the place. So, yeah, go ahead. Make fun. I have a Troubled stalker."

"Was she wearing a white dress?" Damon asked.

"What's going on here? Am I being targeted for something?"

"We have reason to believe that this woman attacked another man. Took his eyeballs out with a spoon," said Emma as Damon's phone beeped.

"We've got another possible victim."

"Let's go. Dominic, she's already come after you twice, okay? You're coming with us." A few minutes later, the three spoke with a doctor.

"Megan Berlin sustained 21 bone fractures. If she was conscious right now, she'd be in terrible pain. It's like she fell from a great height. But she was alone on the ground floor locked in a room at Child Protective Services."

"Why was she there?" Emma asked.

"Evaluation for a custody proceeding. She was accused of shaking her six-month old."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"So we've got a peeping tom without eyeballs and a child abuser with broken bones both found in locked rooms," said Damon.

"Parking tickets. Yeah. She attacked my car first and then she went after The Grey Gull, which apparently is operating under a questionable liquor license."

"It's like she's punishing people for their wrongdoings and, in some twisted way, making the punishment fit the crime," Emma added.

"How much do we think that she knows?" Dominic asked.

"No, Dominic."

"She could be going down some list of the things I've done wrong lately, like, oh I don't know…killing somebody," he whispered.

"Okay, then we will do whatever we can to protect you, day and night."

"Well, no place safer than a jail cell," Damon smirked.

"Cell's fine with me."

"I'm serious," Emma interrupted. "I'm immune to the Troubles so maybe I can stop her, all right? I'll sleep over at your place."

"I sleep in the raw." Emma groaned and walked away.

"You know she's using you as bait, right?" Damon chuckled before walking away. That night, Damon stopped by The Gun & Rose Diner.

"Not here for the coffee are you?" Sage asked.

"Did you get my messages?"

"I talked to my people. You can't just ink loyalty on your arm and expect us to trust you."

"See ya."

"Wait. You want in? Prove it." He took a piece of paper she offered him.

"I know this guy. It's…"

"Duncan Fromsley. Convicted of arson a year ago."

"And murder. He didn't know his son was home when he set fire to his house for the insurance."

"Fromsley's in maximum security at Shawshank. Stage Two cancer, refusing treatment. His wife thinks she can convince him to get chemo if he's closer to home."

"You want me to swing a transfer."

"This woman is close to us. She already lost a son."

"If I do this, you vouch for me. Introduce me to the others?"

"Yeah." He nodded and left. After a rough night, Emma walked into Damon's office at the station.

"I think this Troubled woman is a vigilante and I think she's using the _Haven Herald's_ crime blotter as a hit list. Our peeping tom and our child abuser were both written up and Dominic's assault charge made the late edition."

"So she's punishing the guilty."

"Dominic says that he didn't actually assault anyone."

"Really?"

"I think she's punishing who she assumes is guilty, which means that there could be dozens of potential victims. So I had Vince help Dominic come up with a composite sketch. I'm gonna meet him at the courthouse after his hearing. We're going to show the sketch around and see if anybody recognizes her."

"You're meeting Dominic at the courthouse? He hasn't guilted you enough about what happened?"

"He's my friend and there's a woman out there who's trying to kill him."

"No, you're right. Stay with Dominic."

"What is this really about?"

"Never took you for stupid."

"Excuse me?"

"You know damn well what's it about. Just go please." Emma sighed and walked away. A few minutes later, Emma arrived at the courthouse.

"The endorsement from the Haven PD help?" Emma asked.

"I'm not in jail. Assault charge got thrown out. But the bad news is that this woman is an eye-for-an-eye kind of chick and I'm just concerned I'm not gonna survive her punishment for murder one."

"Don't worry about it. We're not gonna let your secret get out. Now, make yourself useful. Pass these out." Dominic then noticed the mural on the opposite wall.

"That's her."

"Whoa," said Emma, turning to see the mural. A few minutes later, Emma and Dominic met with Damon, Vince, and Dave at the Haven Hearld.

"So if our Troubled person is a painting, how do we stop it?" Damon asked.

"Well, my first thought is that Troubles run in families, right? So, if we can find our model, we can find our girl," Emma replied.

"But according to the dedication, there was no real-life model," said Dave. "The artist based Lady Justice on the classical feminine ideal. What happened when you shot her last night?"

"Turned into plaster."

"Oh dear. Your Lady Justice may be a golem."

"What?"

"People often confuse the Troubles with myths and legends. Golems appear in folklore but they become real when unleashed by a Troubled person," said Vince.

"Golems are usually made of plaster or clay, designed to do its master's bidding. They're dangerous, indestructible," Dave added.

"There must be some way to kill it," said Damon.

"There isn't."

"Maybe if we can find who brought this thing to life, its master, we can get them to call her off," Emma suggested.

"Hang on. Can you handle this without me? My contact, Sage, wants me to swing a prisoner transfer. Could be my ticket into The Guard," Damon whispered to Emma, pulling her into a hallway.

"Are you sure that that's a good idea? I wouldn't want you to compromise yourself."

"Whatever it takes."

"You really – you do not need to do this for me. It's not going to change anything."

"It's not about you. I'm just trying to catch a killer." He walked out.

"You were always a bad liar, Damon." An hour or so later, Damon had gotten his prisoner transfer when Emma called him.

"What's up?" he answered.

"Finally. I got you. It's Judge Boone. I think he's the guy. I think he's creating the golem."

"I was just with him." Damon ran into the courthouse and found Boone, dead. He called Emma. "Em, I don't think Boone is our guy and the painting's empty." Emma arrived when the coroner's took Boone's body away. "I think I know why Boone was punished that way."

"Good. Cause I doubt he had his own name on the docket."

"He was corrupt."

"How do you know?"

"He was helping me with Sage."

"Lady Justice took it personally."

"You're thinking our Troubled person knew him, worked here in the courthouse?"

"Yeah. We should start looking." A few minutes later, Damon was heading to the diner when he called Sage.

"Sage. It's done. Fromsley's set to be transferred within the hour."

"Within the hour? Really?" Sage asked as Damon saw her serving coffee outside. He hid behind a sign.

"Yeah, I was on my way over to tell you. I figured the sooner the better. I can stop by the diner and show you the paperwork."

"No. I didn't come in to work today. Look. I got to go." Sage got into her SUV and took off. He followed her and saw her hijack the van, incapacitating the guards. Damon grabbed his shotgun while Sage opened the van door.

"We're good! Let's go!" she yelled. Two other members of The Guard arrived to evacuate the prisoner. Damon noticed one of the prison guards grab his gun. Damon knocked him out with the butt of his gun. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Saving your life. Go. Just go!" A few minutes later, Emma had discovered who was controlling Lady Justice and stopped the golem. Damon walked into Emma's office that night.

"Hey," he said.

"You missed all the excitement."

"I knew you could handle it. Things are different now."

"Yeah, they are. So how did it go with your contact, Sage? Did the prisoner transfer go through?"

"Yeah."

"No drama?"

"No drama."

"Good." Damon walked out of her office and saw a countrywide notice fax for the prisoner come through. He crumpled up the piece of paper and immediately went to the Gun & Rose.

"We're closed," said Sage, not turning around to see who opened the door.

"You lied to me. I need to know what your people are doing, what I'm involved in."

"It's not what you think."

"I found out Duncan Fromsley doesn't have cancer. I called and checked, but he did set a fire that killed his son."

"He's Troubled. All Fromsley did was have a nightmare and when he woke up, his bed was on fire. Last week the doctors at Shawshank cut out his sleep meds. Imagine if he set fire to a prison."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"What would that get him exactly? Asbestos walls and a life in solitary? He's safe now. My people help the Troubled and we do it any way we can."

"If you'd just told me the truth, you wouldn't have had to hurt those guys. I was there. I saw you. You hated it. Next time, you tell me the truth. Good night, Sage." Damon walked out. Meanwhile, Emma was working at the station when Meredith arrived.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey. Don't talk for a sec. I think I just had an epiphany. FBI files I requested just came in. A woman's chin was sliced off."

"Eww."

"Oh no."

"What is it? Is it the Colorado Kid?"

"No. No, it's the bolt-gun killer."

"What about him?"

"What if he's not using body parts for trophies? What if he's building a woman?"


	22. Far From Home

"I finished it," said Emma to Meredith at a Halloween party.

"The Colorado Kid. Your dream version, anyway. I can't believe that you finished this," said Meredith, looking at the drawing.

"I ran his face through every missing person database. Nothing. I need to remember more."

"I don't know, Emma. I've been rethinking this whole regression therapy thing."

"But I want to remember."

"Clearly, you don't. Your subconscious came to you in your dream as your FBI boss and told you to stop remembering." A woman then came into the building screaming. After calming the girl down, Emma called Damon.

"She saw my car parked outside The Haven Herald," Emma said.

"Let me get this straight. Her boyfriend slammed the door with his mind," Damon replied. "Some kind of telekinetic anger Trouble?"

"Or just irrational young love."

"That's even more dangerous. Want me to meet you at the house?"

"No, I got it. We're looking for a reason to get out of here."

"We?"

"I asked Dominic to come along. We're going to take the girl to help us ID the kid and Meredith will keep an eye on her."

"Check in. I'll send Mason for back up," said Damon as he saw Sage heading for his office. "Sage, you shouldn't be here."

"I'm just a Haven citizen saying hello to law enforcement. Hello."

"Just hello?"

"Wrapped in a little business. My friends were impressed that you helped us with our little prison break. They'll call you when they need you again," said Sage, handing him a phone.

"I'm in?"

"Almost. You just have to pass one more test. Buy me a drink?" He took the phone. Meanwhile, Emma and Dominic entered an abandoned house.

"Leaving the girl outside with Meredith was a good idea. I didn't realize we were coming to the Holloway House," said Dominic.

"Why? What's the deal?"

"Roland Holloway was a blue blood type. He just took off, leaving behind a wife and two daughters. And suddenly, they disappeared too."

"Did he kill them?"

"Nobody knows. There are stories. Bad ones."

"Maybe I should check in with Damon. Gah. Stupid phone. No service. Of course not. Lucky him."

At a cemetery, Sage and Damon were having a drink. Damon kept checking his phone, waiting for Emma's call.

"She still hasn't checked in, huh?" Sage asked.

"No. I should go."

"Why? Does she need your help?"

"I don't know. But I should check."

"Okay. Go. I hope you find what you're looking for, Damon."

"Sage."

"I can walk to my car." At the house, Emma and Dominic were walking down a hallway.

"What's with all the mirrors?" she asked.

"Rich people. They're narcissists." Emma looked into a mirror and then fell unconscious. "Emma!" She came to a few seconds later. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I just got a little. You can let me stand now, Dominic."

"Yeah." He helped her up. "Emma, you're tracking blood behind you." She turned on her flashlight and saw a bloody hand on a bookcase. Dominic broke through the bookcase and saw the body.

"Oh my God. How did he get in here?" Emma asked as Mason and Meredith entered the house. "What are you guys doing in here?"

"You called us on the old intercom thing, right?" Mason asked.

"I didn't call anybody." The house then began to rumble.

"Uh, guys. The front door's gone." Shutters snapped shut.

"It's got to be a Trouble."

"I hope everybody packed a lunch because we're trapped." Mason drew his gun. "Seriously? A ghost just removed the front door and you really think that shooting at the windows is going to help?"

"Damnit. Just perfect. Ghosts," Mason growled. "Anything else you people want to let me in on that goes on around here? Mermen? Aliens? Dracula?"

"I'm not sure about Dracula."

"Somebody's Trouble is doing this," said Emma. "I'm betting you it's Tina. She probably doesn't even know she's doing it."

"Or she lied to us and she knows exactly what she's doing. Where did that girl run off to?"

"We need to find her. We're stuck in here and she could be our only way out. Meredith, you and I are going to take downstairs. Mason, Dominic, look upstairs." Dominic went up the stairs. Mason went to reach for the gun he'd set on the table, but it was gone.

"Hey, I got a question for you," said Emma to Meredith. "As my doctor, I think I had another memory flash. Why would they start up again?"

"Buried memories. They're stored in the pre-frontal cortex and with the right stimuli, they can recur. And some doors, once they're open, can't be closed." The two heard a creak and Emma turned around, ready to shoot, but it was Damon.

"Damon, how'd you get in here?"

"Came in through the front door. Why?"

"Show me where it is."

"It was…this wasn't here before. What is going on here?" Everyone then heard a scream and went upstairs. Tina was dead with a red-head standing in front of the body.

"Turn around slowly," said Mason.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Emma asked, pulling her gun.

"I'm looking at that," said Sage. They saw a pool of blood which read 'This Is Your Fault.'

"This is Sage Mikaelson," said Meredith. "She's Troubled. Her touch causes intense pain."

"Hi, Doc. I was a patient. I'm better now."

"Aren't we looking for a serial killer with that exact same tattoo?" Mason asked.

"Not to mention she's standing underneath a dead girl," said Dominic. "Or is that too much of a giveaway?"

"We can't exactly arrest her now, Dom," Emma replied.

"I agree. We should just shoot her."

"Vargas, ask Dr. Fell if my Trouble includes throwing girls into chandeliers," Sage replied. "I didn't do it."

"Then why are you here?" Emma asked.

"She's with me," said Damon. He took Sage's hand. "She didn't do it."

"Oh," Emma replied. "Then who did?" A phone then rang. "Find it."

"How did you get in?" Damon asked Sage, pulling her into a hallway.

"The front door. I followed you here to apologize. Now I'm wondering why. What did your cop buddy mean about a serial killer with the tattoo?"

"Haven PD's been tracking someone who murders women. Keeps parts, maybe to build one for himself. And we have evidence that he's got the tattoo."

"So you think I'm a serial killer? But you just happened to come see me right at the start of your investigation of me…of us."

"You can trust me." Upstairs, Mason and Dominic heard Damon talking to Sage through the intercom.

"Who turned that thing on?" Mason asked.

"Shh!"

"You're friends with Dominic Vargas," Sage spat. "Vargas' hunt our kind. We should kill him before he kills us."

"Well, there's my daily quota for death threats."

"I am one of you now. Do you know how much trouble I would get in if anyone found out I helped the guard with that prisoner escape? I'd go to jail."

"I know the Chief has that tattoo but he told me that he wasn't really one of them," said Mason as the transmission cut off.

"You heard him yourself. Working together."

"So what's Damon doing with Sage?" Meredith asked Emma, upstairs.

"It's just work."

"Okay. Is he telling you that or are you telling yourself that?"

"Stop."

"I can't stop because I'm your therapist, so…"

"No. I mean stop." Emma moved a picture down and a secret passage opened.

"How did you…"

"Déjà vu. The missing Holloway women. Mother and daughters," said Emma, seeing three skeletons. "They didn't leave. They were here all along."

"This one's self-inflicted."

"She killed them and then…herself?"

"She left a note. 'I want you to watch. This is your fault.'"

"It's that same phrase." Emma looked in another mirror and fell unconscious. A few minutes later, she came back.

"Thank God. Emma, are you all right?"

"No. I know whose fault all this is."

"Whose?"

"Mine. Lucy was in that room. She was just too late to help them."

"You accessed another repressed memory from a past life."

"If Lucy was trapped in there back then and she escaped that means if I can remember, I can help us find a way out."

"No. Remembering could kill you. Look, you're bleeding. A subdural hematoma. It's like a wall in your head just bursts. These flashbacks are hurting you."

"Finally! Have you seen Sage?" Damon asked.

"She's loose in this house!" Meredith yelled.

"Sage is not a threat."

"You sure about that, Chief? Check your records. She took revenge on a man when she was in my care. She tortured him with her touch for three days. She nearly killed him. He's still in a coma. It's the reason that she's not my patient anymore."

"Maybe you don't know her."

"And you do?"

"Enough," said Emma, tiredly. "We need to get everybody back together so we can find a way out of here, all right?" While Damon went off to find Sage, Emma and Meredith found Mason and Dominic.

"There you guys are. We need to regroup with Damon."

"Wait. We heard Damon talking to Sage on that box thing. He's actually in with the tattoo people or at least he's in with her," said Dominic.

"Guys, he's investigating them. He's pretending."

"He told her it was an investigation, okay? He's not pretending anymore."

"Listen, I like the Chief. I do, but I heard it too," said Mason.

"They have similar Troubles. They could have a profound bond. I mean only he can touch her," said Meredith.

"No. No. He can explain." She walked out into hallway. "He went this way right?" The door then slam shut and the house rumbled. The door unlocked and Dominic went into the hallway.

"It's different." Meanwhile, Emma heard the phone replay the conversation Damon had had with Sage.

"Enough!" Emma yelled. "Show yourself. I can help you."

"Oh, now you can help," said a man in the mirror.

"Who are you?"

"I am this house."

"You're Roland Holloway. You never left. You're trapped in this place."

"Because of you. I restored this house for my family. Every wire, every pipe. Poured everything I had into it."

"You became obsessed."

"Perhaps I was a little too invested. Because one day I woke up and even I was poured in. My body was gone for good and I was this house."

"That's your Trouble?"

"The things you own, own you, right? But Holloways adapt."

"How?"

"It took a while. But I got used to my new body. I can control every wall, floor, and door in here. My wife installed mirrors so I could see, speakers to hear."

"But your wife and daughters, they're in that room now?"

"They didn't understand. This house is wonderful. What more could they have needed?"

"You kept them in there?"

"Of course I did! I did everything for them. I became this sleepless, lidless monster for them. I was supposed to let them leave me here? No. You didn't help me. You left me like this."

"What? Why?"

"You'd have to ask yourself that."

"I'm not Lucy, but maybe I can help you now."

"You think that's why I brought you here? For your help?"

"You had Tina lead us here. You let my friends in."

"I watched my wife murder my children. I felt it. And it's your fault. You couldn't save them in time. You didn't save me. So now you're going to watch your loved ones kill each other.

"Emma, this house is trying to split us up," said Meredith as she and Mason caught up with Emma after Roland disappeared.

"It's alive. It's Roland Holloway. He's possessed it and he's trying to turn us on each other."

"What? Why?" Mason asked.

"Revenge against Lucy. This room is causing me flashbacks. If I can get inside then I think I can find a way out. Lucy did."

"You can't go back in there. That subdural hematoma that that flashback caused, it could kill you if you keep pushing it."

"If I don't do something, this house is going to kill us. Meredith, I need you to stop them from turning on each other, okay? No one can do that better than you."

"Who's going to protect you in there?"

"I will," Mason volunteered.

"How? Are you a doctor?"

"No, I'm a cop, but you are a doctor so you're going to tell me exactly what it is I need to do." A few minutes later, Emma and Mason walked into the room and Emma fell unconscious. "Emma. Emma, are you okay?" She woke up.

"I think I know a way we can get out of here. Help me downstairs." Mason found Dominic, Damon, and Sage in a standoff while Meredith was trying to mediate. "Put your guns down, you idiots, before I kick all your asses. Listen, this house and everything in it is alive. It's what's turning us on each other. The mirrors are the eyes, the intercoms are the ears. Who's going to help me make it deaf and blind so we can all escape?" Sage shot the mirrors while Dominic and Damon took out the intercoms.

"Very good. You remembered…Lucy," said Holloway through a mirror.

"I'm Emma. Lucy and I are a lot alike. She didn't fail to save you."

"Oh she did."

"No, she chose not to. And I'm going to choose the same thing. Stay in your prison forever." She shot the mirror and a gas valve turned on.

"Is that gas? So what he can't see us so now he's going to poison us?" Meredith asked.

"That door wasn't there," said Damon.

"We wounded him. He's losing control. He can't hide all the doors," Emma replied.

"I'll distract Roland. Shoot out as many mirrors as I can. Meet you at the front door." Everyone escaped the house just as Dwight threw a bomb inside. The house exploded.

The next day, Emma met with Meredith at the police station.

"The Colorado Kid was in that room with Lucy. I heard his first name. I matched it with a facial composite and I got this." She showed her a fax.

"James Cogan. That's his name." Emma then saw Damon.

"Excuse me." She walked into his office, closing the door. "So that prisoner transfer that you helped Sage with. That was really an escape?"

"Yeah."

"You could go to jail for that, Damon? What were you thinking."

"I was investigating the bolt-gun killer, your abductor who has the tattoo. I am in with them."

"You're helping with jail breaks? And…she knows that you're undercover too? It just seems like you're doing a little more than investigating."

"That prisoner was Troubled. People would have been hurt if he had stayed. The Guard helps Troubled people just like we do."

"Not like we do."

"It's not black and white, good and bad. She's not…bad. She's…she's like me."

"Do you trust her?"

"I do."

"Okay. That's good enough for me."

"Em."

"It's good, Damon. It's good work. I got some things that I need to look into so I'll just, you know, I'll check in later."

"Yeah." She left. "Check in later."


	23. Wasting My Time

"Damon, I've got a plane to catch."

"And I'm your husband. You can tell me the basics of this lead."

"Paul and June Cogan. They were the parents of The Colorado Kid, James Cogan. He went missing in 1983."

"What did they say when you talked to them?"

"Paul's dead and I keep getting an answering machine at the house. That's why I need to fly to Colorado, because maybe June can tell me where James is. Which would be good because supposedly I loved him. When I was Lucy, I wrote myself that note saying that I had to find him before I go away."

"Maybe finding him keeps you from going away."

"You know I am all for Emma staying on vantage, but you don't want to scare the guy," Dominic interrupted. "So I'm just suggesting start soft. You know, small talk. Colorado avalanche, people like hockey. I don't, personally, but some people do. Flight leaves in two hours so we should…"

"He's driving you to the airport?" Damon asked.

"Nope. Going all the way to Colorado," Dominic answered.

"You said that one of us would stay behind and that I shouldn't go alone, so…"

"23 days left, you have to spend two of them with Dominic?"

"I give great moral support."

"Just take care of her. Check in."

A few hours later, Emma and Dominic arrived at Nederland, Colorado. Emma stopped at the front door of the Cogan's house.

"Why are you so nervous?" Dominic asked.

"I've been what, at least three other people in my life, and one of them was in love with The Colorado Kid. And he could be on the other side of that door and all I can think about is I should have worn my other pants."

"Emma, you are officially a girl. Look, let's just pray that he doesn't have a unibrow." She laughed and Dominic knocked on the door. A man answered the door.

"We're looking for the owner of this boarding house, June Cogan," said Emma.

"Who's we?" the man asked. She flashed her badge. "You're a long way from Haven, Maine."

"June Cogan has a son named James Cogan. Where are they?"

"Don't know. Never heard of them. I just pay my rent. Good day, Officer." He closed the door and Dominic recognized an all to familiar symbol hanging on a plaque by the door.

"What the hell is that death omen doing in Colorado?"

"What?" Dominic knocked on the door again and when the tenant answer the door, Dominic shoved him against a wall.

"Alright, why don't we have an honest conversation about what the hell that thing is doing on your front porch?"

"Dom, relax. My name is Emma Petrova. We know that that symbol means that you work for The Guard."

"I put that up for folks who are special. So they know this is a safe house. They can rest here."

"Where are the Cogans? Specifically where is James Cogan?" Dominic asked.

"I don't know anything about James Cogan. Paul Cogan. He died. Months ago. He was old. We moved June to a home." After getting an address from the tenant, Dominic and Emma stopped by West-Head Geriatric Care Facility.

"Mrs. Cogan? Hi. I'm a friend of your son, James," Emma introduced herself.

"James is such a good boy. He drew a picture for me in school today."

"Maybe, uh, James is an art teacher at an elementary school," Dominic muttered.

"Don't be silly," Mrs. Cogan scoffed. "James is only nine years old. Little boys can't be teachers."

"Mrs. Cogan? I have a lot of important questions for you. Can you look at me?" Emma asked.

"You. Sarah, why did you change your hair? You were so pretty as a redhead. You said you'd never come back." Emma then realized this woman was too far gone. Alzheimer's had gotten to her. That night, she called Damon.

"How's it going out there?" he answered.

"I'm gonna need a few more days. I haven't found anything on James Cogan or Lucy yet. But I did find something interesting."

"Gonna tell me what it is?"

"The tattooed people. They're running a safe house out of Colorado. I think it's a transfer point or something. Anyway, maybe I helped relocate people when I was Sarah in a past life? I don't know. I know it sounds crazy."

"No. It doesn't sound crazy. The Guard operates a network nation-wide."

"You didn't tell me that part."

"I didn't tell you because I just found out myself."

"Okay, is there, uh, anything else you want to tell me?"

"There's a Troubled person murdering rich people and resurrecting them at sundown for ransom money."

"You're serious?"

"Mason and I got it under control. I hope you and Dominic find some answers." He then hung up. Dominic entered the hotel room he and Emma were crashing at.

"How's Officer Grumpy?" he asked.

"Grumpy. Any luck finding another room?"

"No. This is the last room in the house. Apparently, there's a lumberjack tournament in town. I'm not making that up. That is a real…it's really a thing here. I swear. And worse. There's no bar."

"Alright. At least you have a couch to sleep on."

"Lucky me."

"Alright, so I was Lucy in the 80s, Sarah in the 50s. When I was Lucy, I was in love with The Colorado Kid and Sarah, maybe I helped to relocate Troubled people. But why did June think I was Sarah and not Lucy?"

"You know maybe Sarah and Old Lady Cogan knew each other from way back."

"Yeah, but there's only one person that can help us with that and that's June Cogan. And her memory is about as cooperative as mine."

"Her memories maybe, but not her mementos. I lifted this off of June Cogan's night table."

"You took a photo album from an old woman?"

"Well, it sounds much worse when you say it like that. You can scold me later."

"No way. This is the sweetest form of thievery ever."

"I'm a sweet thief. Baby photos, school pictures."

"James Cogan's life was really well documented."

"Do you feel anything when you look at these? Does he seem familiar?"

"I know that I loved him, but I just don't…I don't know."

"Don't really see any Lucy or Sarah in there. Wait, that's…The Colorado Kid got married. Is there a date?" He flipped the picture over. "1983. His wife's name was Arla."

"So if The Colorado Kid married Arla, then where does Lucy fit in, or Sarah for that matter?"

"Why don't we just focus on one past life at a time? Marriages have records. Let's go see what we can find out about Arla Cogan."

The following night, Dominic and Emma were going over marriage records and anything they could dig up on Arla.

"So Arla Cogan killed herself when The Colorado Kid went missing," said Emma. "He and Lucy, they never really had this big love affair. This whole thing…this is just ridiculous. When I first showed up to Haven, I was an FBI agent. I had just separated from Damon. I was looking into a case. I knew who I was. Life was good. And then I found out I had what, not one, but two past lives that I know of. Nothing is what I thought it was. The first past life I was completely wrong about and the other one…the other one's still a mystery to me.

"You know if you want something stronger than that I saw funions in the vending machine," said Dominic as Emma pulled another beer out of a case.

"This is hilarious right? You tell me about this hunter meteor storm thing, you explain to me what it is, that I go away and I waste a whole month chasing what?"

"You didn't waste anything. You solved The Colorado Kid mystery. And we can beat this hunter thing." Emma laughed.

"Come on, Dom. Now I have to beat a hunter thing? I got what? 20 days left? I just want to live my life."

"Okay. However you want to do it. However you want to help the Troubled, or you just want to live your life, I'm in."

"You are an amazing friend."

"I'm just saying you have choices."

The next morning, Dominic offered Emma a cup of coffee by their rental car.

"I just confirmed our flight back to Haven," he said.

"It's beautiful here. Maybe that's why Lucy and Sarah came. 'Cause of the scenery."

"I knew you had a sense of humor in there."

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm just imagining you as a redhead. It's hot."

"Flatterer. Wait. Dominic, you're a genius."

"I know. Why?" A few minutes later, Emma, wearing a red wig, visited June Cogan.

"June. It's me."

"Sarah! You said you'd never come back. Oh give me another chance, please!"

"Don't be scared, okay? I'm not angry."

"They day you brought him was like a miracle. We're a family now."

"I helped you, didn't I?"

"We named him James. Do you like that name?"

"James. Did I…did I bring you your son from Haven?"

"Oh please don't take him away. We've kept him safe."

"June, was James Troubled? Is that why you kept him safe?"

"I already love him so much. I know it must have hurt to give him up, Sarah, but I can take care of him. I can protect your baby."

"James Cogan is…he's my son?" A few hours later, Emma and Dominic arrived back in Haven.

"Hey, I'm sorry we didn't get anything else out of the old lady," said Dominic.

"She told me the important part. I don't even think she'd be able to remember where the Colorado Kid is anyway."

"We didn't talk about it on the plane, but how do you feel knowing that you have a son?"

"I don't even know how to being to process that information."

"Hey…it'll be our secret," said Emma as her phone rang. "Hey, Damon. We just got in."

"I know. I need you out at Trapingus Cove. Mason and I think the Troubled girl's hiding out in a cabin here."

"The one who brings people back from the dead?"

"Her name's Noelle. She's on the run with her sister, Moira."

"I'll get there as fast as Dominic can drive me."

"Fine. I'll get you the coordinates. It's north 449137, West 670039."

"Got it," Emma replied before hanging up. When Emma arrived at the cove, she saw Mason. "Hey, where's Damon?" Emma walked further up the street and was shocked to see Damon on the ground, bleeding. She ran to him. "No. Damon. Baby, look at me."

"It was Noelle. The Troubled girl. She started shooting and he got in the middle," Mason explained hurriedly as Emma cried. "By the time I got outside, it just…"

"Damon!"


	24. Life Without You

"Where's the girl that brings people back from the dead? Where's Noelle?" Emma demanded, holding back her tears. She would bring Damon back even if it killed her.

"She's the one who shot him."

"Where is she, Mason!" He pointed to the woods. "You were shooting at her. Why would you do that? Get an APB out on her." Dominic and Emma ran into the woods.

"There already is one."

"Over here!" Dominic yelled, seeing blood.

"You hit her. Mason, she's the only one that can bring Damon back."

"She's still moving. Maybe she's still alive. Let's go," said Dominic. "She'll head for the main road." The three ran out onto the road.

"Where would she go? Who would she turn to? She's hurt."

She's a paramedic in town," said Mason.

"They have partners. Who's her partner? Come on, Mason. You investigated her.

"Joseph Brentner. He's her boyfriend too. They live together."

"This is what we're going to do. We're going to get Damon to Noelle and she's going to do her thing. I'm going to get a cruiser to their apartment."

"Emma, maybe we should handle this ourselves. If word gets out that Damon died, it could be hard to explain if we bring him back."

"_When_ we bring him back."

"Emma, sun sets at 7:47," said Dominic.

"We got two and a half hours to find Noelle." After following Joseph to Noelle's place, Emma crept up behind the paramedic.

"Noelle," Joseph called out softly.

"Police. Keep calling to her," said Emma as she pointed her gun.

"Noelle, are you there?"

"She should be here."

"I'll check downstairs," said Mason.

"Okay. I'll check up. Dom, wait here with him."

"You better pray that your girlfriend can bring my friend back to life," Dominic growled.

When Emma walked downstairs to check on Mason, Noelle was dead.

"I know why we brought Damon here, but why are we keeping her?" Dominic asked as Emma placed the girl in the trunk of her car.

"We might need her."

"What's the plan?"

"I don't know, but we can't just sit here. There's got to be something."

"Noelle's gone so there's no way to bring the Chief back," said Mason as Emma pulled out a bag from girl's jacket. She noticed a picture tucked inside a journal.

"Her sister. We've got to find her. Now."

"Why?"

"Troubles run in families so if Noelle can bring people back from the dead so can her sister. What's her name?"

"Moira, but she doesn't have a Trouble. That's why she was using Noelle."

"Well then we'll bring out Moira's Trouble."

"You can do that?"

"We can try. This is Moira's. There's a bunch of names and addresses. What does this mean?"

"She had a cleaning service. It's like a hit list. She scratched off all the names of the people she was extorting."

"These three here. They're marked on vacation. This is the house that we're in now."

"That's why she came here. She knew it'd be empty. It's a perfect place to hide," Dominic added.

"Alright, well, my money is that Moira is at one of these other houses. We need to split up. You and Mason take the truck. Go to the Wentworth House. I'm gonna check out the other house." After they left, Emma called Dwayne.

"Emma?" he answered.

"Hey, listen. I don't have time to explain. I just need you to babysit a guy for me."

"Everything okay?"

"No."

"Okay. I could use a change of scenery anyway. Where are you?" Emma then heard a cellphone from Damon's pocket ring.

"I'll text you the address." She hung up and answered Damon's phone. "Hello?"

"Emma?"

"Sage."

"What are you doing on this phone?"

"I found it. It was left in my car. Is it Damon's?"

"What's going on? I keep calling Damon and he doesn't answer. Is he okay?"

"I don't know. I haven't spoken to him. I just got in. Listen, I really got to go." She hung up and walked back into the house to Noelle's boyfriend. "I'm sorry for your loss, but I need to know about Noelle's Trouble."

"Moira was the one killing people. Noelle was just bringing them back."

"Tell me how Noelle's Trouble started."

"Noelle and I were on a call a few months ago. I got clipped by a drunk driver and I died. Noelle said seeing someone she loved dead, that's what brought on her Trouble."

"So she touched you when you were dead?"

"At sunset. She took on my injury and then we both healed together."

"That?" Emma asked, noticing a scar on his head.

"Gunshot wound. She saved my life twice."

"That's why you and Noelle have the same scars."

"This is all Moira's fault?"

"Then why did she keep helping her? Why didn't she just turn her in?"

"They have a crazy bond. They grew up as orphans."

"What happened to their parents?"

"Her mom died of cancer when she was really young and their dad did a pretty good job of raising them until a car accident killed him. Something happened to those sisters that day."

"What?"

"Noelle never told me about it. I finally took a look at the police report and it said that it looked like they were all ejected from the vehicle. They found Moira and Noelle standing in the road, just in shock. Their dad was dead." When Dwayne arrived, Emma left for the house on Moira's list.

"Moira?" Emma called. She heard running and shot at a doorframe. "Stop! Police!"

"Don't kill me."

"Moira, I'm not gonna kill you. Just move to the wall."

"Look all I wanted was the money. That guy wasn't supposed to die. He was supposed to come back to life like the others."

"The guy at the cabin? He was supposed to come back to life?"

"The cop? I didn't have anything to do with that."

"I know you didn't. That was Noelle."

"What? My sister didn't shoot him. She ran away."

"We have an eyewitness."

"Listen, put me and Noelle on a bus out of town and I'll tell you who did it." Emma pushed Moira into a chair, handcuffing her to the armrests.

"Who shot Damon?"

"The super-buff cop in the hat. I saw it all."

"What?"

"They were outside talking at the car and all of a sudden, he shot your cop friend right in the chest."

"You're lying."

"The weird thing. It was like your friend didn't even feel any pain. He just kept talking after he was shot."

"What did he say?"

"'You're the bolt gun killer.' Then the other cop shot him again." Emma immediately called Dominic.

"What's up?" he answered.

"Dominic, don't react to what I'm about to say. You understand me? I have Moira here. She told me that Mason killed Damon. She told me that Mason's the bolt gun killer."

"You sure?"

"Her story makes sense. And Mason's been acting weird all day."

"Okay."

"You keep him away. I'll trigger Moira's curse. I'll get her to bring Damon back and when he's okay…"

"Yeah."

"Then we take Mason down."

"Got it."

A few minutes later, Sage arrived.

"Where's Damon?" Sage demanded.

"How did you find me?"

"The phone I gave Damon has a locator app on it. Where is he?"

"Go home."

"I can tell something's wrong. Just tell me where he is please." Emma unlocked the trunk.

"He's been shot."

"Oh my God. Who did this?"

"He'll pay. But first I need to bring Damon back."

"You can do that?"

"There's a resurrection Trouble. If the person touches him before sunset, then he'll come back when the sun goes down."

"So what are you waiting for?"

"The woman who has it is right there. Dead. Her sister's inside, but her Trouble isn't active yet. We have to trigger it."

"It usually takes some kind of emotional trauma to do that. What are you gonna do?"

"Traumatize her." Sage and Emma moved Noelle's covered body into the house in front of Moira. "I'm sorry it's got to be like this."

"Like what?"

"Do it." Sage uncovered Noelle. "She didn't make it."

"Perfect. She couldn't even save herself."

"Did you feel anything just now, physically, when you saw your sister?"

"No. Was I supposed to?"

"Damnit." Sage and Emma walked into the kitchen.

"Can't tell if she even cares that her sister's dead. Think it worked?" Sage asked.

"I don't know. What did it feel like for you when your Trouble started?"

"I had no idea until I touched someone and they screamed."

"So Moira won't know when it kicks in and neither will we."

"Not until sunset and then it'll be too late to try something else."

"I have 47 minutes. There is a way to know for sure about Moira's curse. Dominic will react if he touches her blood."

"So call him. Get him over here."

"It's dangerous. He's with Mason."

"So?"

A few minutes later, Emma moved Damon into the living room while Sage went to get Dominic.

"What are you doing?" Moira asked.

"You're going to bring him back to life."

"Oh for Pete's sake. You're trying to trigger my family's Trouble?"

"It should have worked. Most people love their sister."

"Well, you don't know what my sister did."

"The night of the accident?"

"What do you know about that?"

"I know something bad happened."

"No. Actually something didn't happen. Noelle didn't save Dad."

"She had it when the Troubles were here last time. She was…"

"Eight. Got it when my mom died. Became our new little family secret between her, me, and Dad. She brought her hamster back to life, even a bird found on the street. When it came to my father lying dead in a ditch, she needed to bring him back. She wouldn't. Said she was afraid. Sat in the dirt, cried, and let him die."

"She was just a kid, Moira."

"So was I."

"Sage might not get Dominic back by sunset."

"I'm guessing that's a problem."

"Noelle's Trouble came back when she saw someone she loved die, right? Should be the same way with you."

"You gonna kill someone I love? Who?"

"The only person you care about now. You." She drew her gun.

"That doesn't even make sense."

"If I shoot you in the right place, you won't die right away. It'll take a few minutes. That's plenty of time to save Damon when your Trouble's activated."

"You're bluffing."

"I only need you alive till sundown."

"You're not a killer."

"You have no idea what I am. And I want Damon back." She fired but the bullet hit the side of chair just as Sage and Dominic rushed in. "Where's Mason?"

"Mason got away for now," said Sage.

"What's going on?" Dominic asked.

"Trying to activate her Trouble."

"Did it work?"

"You tell me, Dominic. Can you test her blood? Tell me if she's Troubled now?" Dominic took a knife and cut Moira's hand.

"Ow!"

"She's not Troubled," said Dominic after he put Moira's blood on his hand.

"You thought I was bluffing?" Emma asked as she pointed her gun to Moira's stomach.

"Yeah."

"That's why it might not have worked because you didn't believe me. So this time I am going to shoot you."

"Emma, what are you doing?" Dominic asked, concerned.

"Dominic, we are running out of time. I need to do something."

"Does it make you feel crazy? Cause that's how I felt that night, waking up in my dad's truck with my sister crying next to me and my dad gone forever," said Moira.

"You woke up in a truck?"

"Yeah."

"But the police report said that it looked like you were ejected from the vehicle."

"I was knocked unconscious in the truck. One of my dad's toolboxes hit me in the back of the head." Emma untied Moira.

"Show me where." She lifted up her hair, showing Emma her scar. Emma then looked at the back of Noelle's head. She had the same scar. "Moira, you weren't unconscious. You were dead."

"What?"

"Your sister. She has the same scar. She brought you back."

"No. Because that would mean…that would mean that she saved me and not our dad."

"Why didn't she bring your dad back too?"

"Because she couldn't. Dad always told her that if she saved two lives in one day that it might not work, could be fatal, so she could only save one of us."

"But she chose you, her sister."

"Oh my God. All these years, I've made her life hell," Moira cried. "All because she saved my life."

"Do you love your sister now, Moira?"

"Yes. The wrong one of us is dead. I hope I'm not too late." She touched both Damon and Noelle, but it didn't work. "I'm sorry." Emma cried and took Damon's hand.

"Damon…I was the one that was supposed to…I was supposed to go. You stupid bastard. I've always loved you. I will always love you."

"Emma…" Emma turned to see that Dominic had touched Moira's blood. His eyes were glowing. Moira groaned as she absorbed both Damon and Noelle's wounds. Damon gasped awake.

"Hey, Emmy. Where's the funeral?" he groaned. She laughed.

"I was so scared," she hugged him.

"I'm okay," said Damon as Noelle woke up.

"Oh my God, Moira."

"She saved you," Dominic explained to Noelle.

"And him too? She brought back two people at once? It'll kill her."

"You saved my life and not dad's. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you to feel guilty."

"Noelle."

"Should I have told you?"

"Things would have been so much better with my sister." Moira then succumbed to her wounds.

"Em, where's Mason?" Damon asked. The two detectives left and tracked the bolt gun killer to a boat shed, using Mason's car GPS. They were shocked to see Dave and Vince tied up.

"Dave, are you okay?" Emma asked.

"It's Mason. Quick! He went that way." They both saw Mason riding a boat.

"Don't hit him. Take out the engine." They shot at the boat, but it exploded. "What did we hit?"

"Fuel tanks maybe."

"I needed to talk to him. I needed to know what he knew," said Emma as Damon hugged her.

Later that evening while a party was being hosted at Dominic's restaurant, Emma checked up on Noelle who was in a truck with her boyfriend, her deceased sister, and Dwight.

"You got everything you need?" Emma asked.

"Yup," Noelle replied.

"When she wakes up, she's going to be somewhere totally new."

"We both are. It's gonna be a good thing."

"You can come back when the Troubles are over."

"Thank you." Emma walked onto the deck of The Grey Gull and Damon walked up to her.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"I never got to ask. How'd it go in Colorado?"

"It's a long story. Did they recover Mason's body yet?"

"No. With the tides, we may never."

"We finally find him and we're left with more questions than when we started."

"We'll figure it out."

"Damon, I want to tell you everything that happened in Colorado and I'm sorry I pushed you away. I never…"

"Em, I'm still here," he replied, cupping her face.

"Yeah."

"We'll have time for this once we find a way to keep you here. We'll figure this thing out. Together." And as he kissed her, Sage watched from afar, looking slightly jealous.


	25. Hurricane

Everything had gone to crap lately. Emma couldn't help but feel that way. She'd had one hell of a day. First, she finds the real Mason Lockwood's body. Somehow, the bolt gun killer was a skinwalker. And now, Sage has been using Damon for some hidden agenda. Emma was done playing games. She knew a Troubled girl who had the gift of mind control. She was going to get her answers and she was going to get them now.

"Ginger, this lady has been hunting you down for the Guard and I need to find out why and ask her some other questions," said Emma.

"I can use my power on her." Ginger turned to Sage who was handcuffed to a chair at the Grey Gull. "Why does the Guard want me?"

"In case Emma Petrova became difficult. We could use you to control her."

"Ginger, tell her she has to answer my questions now," said Damon, absolutely shocked and pissed.

"You have to answer his questions." Sage closed her eyes in defeat.

"Ginger, why don't you go upstairs?" Emma suggested. "You did good." The girl left.

"Emma is immune to the Troubles. Ginger couldn't make her do anything. How was Ginger gonna help you?"

"You're not immune to Ginger, Damon. If we had Ginger, we'd have you. If we had you, we'd be able to control Emma. But I really cared about you."

"Why do you want to control Emma?"

"Last time around when she was Lucy Ripley, she refused to go into The Barn. She ran, almost got away. In case Emma refused to go in this time, Ginger was going to be our insurance policy."

"What's so important about The Barn?" Emma asked.

"Answer her," Damon demanded.

"It's not really a barn. It's way more than that. We just know that when she goes inside, both she and it disappear for twenty-seven years, and once they're both gone, the Troubles in Haven stop. Haven becomes a haven again for the Troubled. For you and me, Damon."

"How do you know that?"

"The Guard has been around a long time."

"Why didn't you tell me any of that before?"

"Cause I knew you'd try to stop it from happening."

"You were right."

"I did this to end the Troubles, Damon. I did this for us."

"There never was an us, Sage."

"Yeah, I figured that part out."

Later that night, Sage has been released back to the Guard and Meredith visited Emma at Damon's house.

"Emma, you're not talking."

"I wasn't aware that this was a session. I asked you over so that you could help me with the skinwalker case."

"I know what you're not saying, even when you're not not saying it."

"What am I not not saying?"

"You only have a few days left before you go and we should talk about that."

"What if I want to talk about _not_ going? If I can catch the skinwalker, then maybe he can tell me about The Barn and The Colorado Kid and me. And then maybe I don't have to go away. Session over. Mission accomplished."

"Fair enough. Where were we?"

"Vince and Dave. The skinwalker tortured 'em for info."

"He grilled 'em about The Colorado Kid and The Barn."

"I don't remember them mentioning The Barn."

"Sure they did."

"Right, no. You're probably right. I just…the barn being the place that I go into and the place that I probably die, I have no idea…"

"Emma, hush. What I mean is we can't worry about things that we can't control. So let's just get back to finding this monster. Um, Emma?" Emma turned to Meredith who was brandishing a gun. "What gave me away?"


	26. Find A Way

"You killed her. You killed Meredith."

"She was a fighter. I can see why you two got along.

"When?"

"A few days go."

"We were still working together then. How did…"

"She taped all of your sessions. She kept excellent notes. I wish everyone made it that easy."

"You're a monster."

"No. I'm the victim."

"Who are you?"

"It took me a long time to believe that you don't remember who you are, what you did when you were Lucy."

"I don't remember any of it. So tell me. Tell me what you want with The Barn, The Colorado Kid. What do you want with my son?" The skinwalker pointed the gun to the back of Emma's head.

"Your son knows how to stop the Troubles."

"What?" Meredith knocked Emma out with the butt of her gun. Outside, Damon was walking to the front door. He opened the door and heard moaning in the living room.

"Emma! Em, what happened?"

"The skinwalker. It's wearing Meredith. And has been for days."

"Emma, how come it didn't kill you when it had the chance?"

"Damon…it's me." She grabbed his hand. "You feel me, right?" Damon relaxed. "I think that it wants to keep me alive. Something about The Barn. I don't know. She said that my son knew the answers. That he could stop the Troubles."

"How?"

"I don't know."

"Then we'll find him."

"I'm out of time."

"No, you're not. The skinwalker's gonna have to lose Meredith's skin now in order to stay hidden. We just have to figure out who it's gonna be wearing next."

"Yeah." The next morning, Emma and Damon were called to a scene at the local high school.

"Poor kid must've got caught when the bleachers retracted. Snagged his dad's wallet to buy beer or something," said Lucassi before walking away.

"Paul Sullivan. He was in my graduating class," said Damon to Emma.

"You mean his dad was," Emma replied.

"No, I mean that is Paul. He should be my age, but that's exactly what Paul looked like at 17."

"Is he Troubled?"

"I don't know, but my gut says yes."

"Wait, is this your class reunion?" Emma asked, noticing a banner.

"Yeah," Damon groaned as he saw a few people about to enter gym.

"Are these some of your classmates?"

"Mean girl, class dork, prom queen, although it looks like she's gained a few pounds. Haven High's own little breakfast club."

"Damon! It's been ages," said one of the women.

"This is, uh, Denise and Robert and Jeanine. Detective Emma Salvatore, my wife. Do know if Paul Sullivan is back in town?"

"Yeah, we all had dinner last night," said Jeanine.

"And I almost punched him in the head for how he treated you," Robert replied.

"What happened?" Emma asked.

"Jeanine was acting like they were gonna hook up or something. I mean, really. Like that would happen," Denise replied.

"What is going on?" Jeanine asked. "We have to set up for the dance tonight."

"There's been an accident," Emma said as Damon's phone rang.

"Salvatore. We'll be right there. We have to go back to the station. Really nice to see you." He and Emma walked away.

"Are you just trying to get out of your reunion?" Emma smirked.

"No. It's about the skinwalker." At the station, Damon had called over Vince, Dave, Dwight, and Dominic.

"We got you together because you're the only people we know we can trust," Emma began.

"When we discovered the skinwalker was stealing parts of women's faces we started a computer program to piece together what it would look like if the parts were assembled. Now that we just got the final ID of the woman buried near the skinwalker's hideout," Damon added.

"Why isn't Meredith here for this?" Dominic asked.

"Meredith's dead," Emma replied. "The skinwalker took her."

"We've gotta get that son of a bitch."

"We will."

"And it's gonna pay," Dwight added.

"Program's almost finished," said Damon.

"That's impossible. Arla Cogan?" Emma gasped.

"Who?" Dwight asked.

"No, it can't be," said Dominic.

"When Dominic and I were in Colorado, we found out that James Cogan was married."

"The skinwalker's building your son's wife," said Damon. "Why would the skinwalker want to look like James Cogan's wife?"

"Maybe it always was her. After James died, nobody in Colorado ever saw Arla again," said Dominic.

"Maybe she came to Haven with James and never left.

"We'll go through the archives," said Dave. "See if there were any women skinned 27 years ago."

"See if some of your business connections might know something," said Damon to Dominic.

"Yeah, they just might. Let me spread the word."

"The skinwalker has the answers, so we need to find her before…"

"Before I disappear for 27 years. Well, this will be a mighty cold case by then so we'd better wrap it up. And please we've seen what she's capable of doing so just be careful."

Later, Damon and Emma were called to another scene at the high school.

"First Paul, now Denise. Both transformed back into teenagers. Both dead," said Damon.

"So what? Somebody's Trouble is turning their classmates back into high schoolers? Some twisted way of returning to a happier time?"

"Or an unhappier time. It's not the transformation that's killing them. They're being murdered."

"Okay, so it's some kind of revenge."

"You remember high school." She looked at him. "Sorry."

"I'll have you know Emma Petrova was pretty popular. At least that's how I remember it."

"Why don't you let me take this? You've got a lot of things to worry about."

"Listen, we have everybody we know out there looking for the skinwalker, all right? If somebody's going after your classmates that means that you and Dominic could be in danger. We need to figure out who's doing this. Besides, if I only have a day left, I'd rather spend it with you." He kissed her and they both left to speak with Jeanine and Robert.

"Denise and Paul? It's terrible."

"Jeanine, Robert, have you ever heard of the Troubles?" Emma asked.

"Well, that's nonsense," said Robert.

"My parents told me those were just stories to scare kids," Jeanine added.

"Did either of you stay in touch with Paul and Denise after school?" Damon asked.

"No," Robert answered.

"Know anyone from our class who had a problem with them back then?"

"Well, they weren't exactly saints," Jeanine replied.

"Yeah, a lot of kids spent their lunch hour stuffed in lockers courtesy of Paul. And Denise, well, she was obviously playing out some very deeply held insecurities."

"But it was all so long ago. We have to cancel the dance."

"No. Paul and Denise would have wanted the reunion to go on," said Damon.

"Okay," Robert replied as the two walked off.

"We're taking a big chance here," Emma murmured.

"If the killer's going after old classmates, where better than the dance? All those potential victims in one place."

Later, Emma and Damon were going over files in Damon's office.

"The whole class is here but I still don't see anything suspicious," said Emma.

"Look at me!" suddenly said a kid running into the office.

"Just calm down, kid," said Emma. "What happened?"

"Dominic?" Damon asked.

"Yeah."

"Dominic?" Emma reiterated.

"It's me. I mean, on the inside, it's me."

"What happened?" Damon asked.

"I went to check something down at the dock and then someone slammed me in the back of the head. Next thing I know I woke up in the water looking like this."

"Did you see who hit you?" Emma asked.

"No. But they left a calling card. A snake in a locker."

"Didn't you steal a snake from biology class and stick it in someone's locker?" Damon asked.

"Man, that was never proved."

"That's not the point. This could help us with a suspect. Whose locker was it?"

"I never knew. It was just the only one without a lock on it. Look, what kind of Trouble is this?"

"Whoever did this transformed Paul and Denise too," said Emma. "And then murdered them. So far you're our only survivor. It's gotta be somebody reliving those days. Trying to make sure that other people relive them too."

"Okay. Then I'm laying my odds on Jeanine. I saw her and that chick definitely peaked in high school." A few minutes later, Emma met with Dwight.

"Hey, Dwight. Thanks for meeting me."

"I talked to The Guard. Apparently Arla came to them 27 years ago, the day the Barn disappeared. She wanted their help and was furious when they sent her away."

"What did she want them to do?"

"Bring the Barn back."

"Did she say why?"

"No. But once it goes…"

"It's gone for 27 years. Damon told me that you don't exactly have the best relationship with the Guard."

"Not anymore."

"What happened?"

"When my Trouble manifested, the Guard brought me here. They helped me. I thought I owed them and they took advantage of that."

"Did you relocate Troubled people?"

"Until I found out the Guard relocates some people whether they like it or not. I tried to get out and I lost my daughter."

"The Guard killed your daughter?"

"They might as well have. Emma, when the Barn comes, are you gonna go inside?"

"I don't want to. I've seen the Troubles destroy so many people's lives that if me going in stops it for 27 years…"

"That's a horrible choice to have to make."

"Yeah," Emma replied as Dwight left. That night, Damon and Dominic were at the dance.

"These people look so very old," said Dominic.

"Shut up," Damon groaned. Emma then walked up to Damon.

"It seems pretty quiet," said Emma. "I hope we didn't misplay this."

"The killer's here somewhere. I remember this song."

"Dance with me."

"I'm not much of a dancer. Tough when you can't feel your feet."

"Why do I always go for the shy ones?" He offered her his hand and they danced together. "So what were you like in high school?"

"I was kind of an outsider."

"Yeah?"

"And I thought all your classmates liked you."

"Jeanine wouldn't even have given me the time of day. Standing next to Robbie was an invitation to be bullied."

"If Jeanine was the one who would most want to come back to high school, if the Trouble was about revenge…"

"The killer was bullied."

"Yeah. And his Trouble turns his bullies back into the teenagers that hurt him."

"And he hurts them back."

"Yeah."

"Grab Dom. We gotta find Robbie." A few minutes later, the three of them found a young Robert by the boiler room.

"Hey! Stop! Police!" Damon yelled as Robert ran. Emma followed Robert while Damon bust down the boiler room door.

"Police! Everybody out!" Emma yelled as Robbie ran back into the gym. "Robbie, I know that they hurt you but that doesn't mean they deserve to die."

"You have no idea what it was like! I bet you were pretty like them." He grabbed her hand, but nothing happened.

"I guess we'll never know. Robert, listen. I want to help you."

"I'm not Robert! I'm Robbie." As he was about to hit her, a gunshot rang out. The skinwalker had shot him. A few minutes later, Emma had patched Robert up as best as she could. "Hang on, Robbie. Paramedics are on the way."

"We searched the building. No sign of Arla," said Dominic as Robert turned back to his older age.

"What happened? I was in the hallway with Becka and Chaz."

"You don't remember being Robbie?" Emma asked.

"Coming back, seeing everyone, must have stirred up a lot of bad memories," said Damon. "And your Trouble transformed you back into your teenage self so you could hurt the people who hurt you."

"But how could I do all this without knowing?"

"I think that your Trouble just made you into a completely different person," said Emma.

"I didn't know I had Troubles. Now people are dead and it's all my fault."

"No. We were all so mean back then," said Jeanine. "I didn't realize until I was on the other side."

"You were never mean to me but I figured you didn't know I existed."

"You wore a backpack with a Green Day patch. Always had a crystal pepsi with your lunch. I thought you were cool. I really wish I'd told you."

"You're telling me now."

"Yeah. Like it matters anymore."

"I always thought that you were the prettiest girl in our class. I still do," said Robert as Dominic turned back to normal.

"Thank God."

Later, Emma, Damon, and Dominic were having drinks at The Grey Gull.

"Dwight's taking Jeanine and Robert someplace safe," said Damon.

"Being together and finally being able to accept each other for who they really are? I think that should help Robbie from appearing again," Emma replied.

"Here's to that and to being able to legally drink again," Dominic quipped.

"You were cute as a teenager."

"Yes, I was," said Dominic before going to the bar.

"Meteor storm starts soon. For a second there, I didn't know if I was gonna live to see it," said Emma.

"Arla saved you from Robbie. She didn't kill you when you discovered she was Meredith."

"Well, The Barn will be here in a few hours. Then maybe we can figure out what Arla really wants. What do you want to do?"

"What I want to do is stay with you. I'm gonna fix this. I'm not gonna let this be our last night." He took her hand. "I'm not giving up. When that Barn appears, we need to be there. So we'll go back to the station. We'll put together search parties. Contact the Coast Guard. Maybe they'll let us use their satellite surveillance."

"It just so happens I know a guy," said Dominic.

"Figured you might."

"It's good to know that my guys have my back."

"Hey. You need rest, but we're gonna find that Barn before it finds you." Emma nodded and left. Dwight entered the bar a few minutes later.

"Hey, we need to talk about Emma," said Dwight.

"Why?"

"When I met with Kirk earlier, he told me The Guard wants Emma in the Barn tomorrow. To make sure that it happens."

"I know what The Guard wants. Emma is going in that Barn over my dead body."

"I told them as much. Be careful, Damon." When Emma got home, she went into her bedroom. Arla was waiting for her with a cocked gun.

"Call for help and people start dying."

"Should I just get another set of keys made?"

"Don't worry. This is probably my last visit."

"Wow. It's really you. James's wife."

"In the flesh. As close as I could get."

"Was it really worth killing all those women to make that face?"

"When James comes out of that Barn, I want to look like the woman he loved. That he still loves."

"Why do you think James is in The Barn?"

"Because that's where Lucy brought him. After James was murdered, Lucy said she'd bring both of us into The Barn with her. She said once we were in there the restorative properties that kept her alive, that kept you alive, would bring James back."

"You were in The Barn 27 years ago?"

"Before The Barn arrived, my Trouble kicked in. I was in my hotel and my skin…it just started to slide off, strip by strip, until there was nothing left. I was just a raw, oozing thing."

"So you killed an innocent young woman so you could steal her skin to wear."

"It was just instinct. Besides, I didn't have a choice. I couldn't let James see me like that. But Lucy? Lucy didn't understand. So she tricked me. She brought James to The Barn alone and by the time I got there I couldn't get in. I banged on the door. I pounded, I begged! The Barn just disappeared."

"So Lucy left you behind?"

"None of that matters because the storm is almost here. It's time for you to return James to me."

"I'm not going to help you find that barn."

"Then help yourself. You don't wanna go away again, right? You want to stay here in Haven with Damon."

"You can't make that happen."

"But James can. Before he died he said that he and Lucy found a way to save her from the Barn and still end the Troubles. And not just for the next 27 years. End them for good."

"You're lying."

"Think about it, Emma. Damon will be able to feel again. And Dominic could be set free from his legacy. You take me to James and you won't ever have to worry about going away again."

"What makes you think after everything you've done, that I'm gonna let you near my son?"

"Because if you don't, you and everyone you love will die."


	27. By The Way

"Damnit. It's got to be Arla," said Damon, entering his house with Dominic and seeing the mess. "She's got Emma. Meteor storm was last night. That means they're looking for that damn barn. If Emma goes in…"

"Troubles are gone."

"That's what you're thinking? You're not worried that we just lost Emma forever? You're thinking that today might be the day the Troubles stop?" Dominic slapped Damon and Damon grabbed him.

"Hey, wait! Did you feel that?""

"No."

"Which means that the Troubles are still here. That means Emma hasn't gone in the barn yet. Come on. They're looking for the barn, right? Now if Arla put a gun to Emma's head and she had to lead her somewhere, where would she take her?"

"I. Emma and I were talking about where the other Emma lost her memories, a field with an imprint in it. Like a building had been there."

"Out at Kick 'em Jimmy Neck. Can only get there by boat. We could take mine, but someone stole it."

"Arla." In the woods, Arla had a gun pointed to Emma's back.

"I don't know what kind of relationship you've had with my son."

"We're married. We're in love."

"Till I tell him that you're a psycho serial killer." Emma was shocked when she saw Agent Howard. "Agent Howard or whoever the hell you are."

"Looking for the Barn, right? Come on. I'll take you there."

"No. You'll take _us_ there," said Arla.

"Ah. You must be Arla. I just left James Cogan at Haven Joe's Bakery."

"He's alive? Is he okay?" Emma asked.

"Confused. Had no idea how much time had passed. Kept wondering what happened to pay phones. He's still there. Go to him. Here. Say hi to him on his new cell phone."

"James?" Arla asked.

"Arla, is that you?"

"James, baby. It's me."

"I want to talk to him," said Emma.

"I'll be right there. I can't wait to see you." Arla ended the call and turned to Emma. "I don't need you anymore. If you make one move to follow me, I will shoot you dead."

"Come. We'll chat a bit," said Agent Howard. "May I offer you some tea?"

"Who the hell are you?"

"Think of me as your ride. I drop you off and then when the time is right, I pick you up."

"In a barn?"

"Yes. Look. It's quite a bit more than a barn."

"How did that get here?"

"It comes whenever you're looking for it. It comes when you're ready."

"So that's it? I go into the Barn and then the Troubles end for 27 years?"

"Not that simple. If it was, I could just pick you up and throw you in. You have to want to go in. You have to want to go away. That's what allows the Troubles to end for 27 years."

"Well then see that's where we have a problem, Morpheus. I don't want to go away."

"You'll be back to Haven."

"Yeah but as somebody else, right? Emma Petrova goes away. Emma…dies."

"Yes."

"But I don't want Emma to die."

"Okay. Go and try to figure out the way to stay."

"What? I can just go?"

"Yes. But know this. The sky is starting to fall. While you're out there attempting the impossible, trying to stay, it will continue to fall faster and faster until the town and everyone you love in it have been destroyed. Now, go. Your friends are here."

"Emma!" Damon called.

"Over here!"

"You're okay!" he hugged her.

"How did you get here?"

"Dominic stole a boat."

"Borrowed. Where's Arla?"

"She's gone, but Howard…The barn is gone. I got to find Arla. She has my son." A meteor suddenly came across the sky, destroying the Haven Lighthouse.

"I thought the meteors are supposed to pass over Haven," said Dominic. "Why is it hitting us?"

"Because I won't go in the barn. And they're gonna come faster and faster until I find my son and he tells us how to stop this." A few minutes later, the three arrived back in Haven. "Howard said that he was getting sick."

"If the Barn kept him alive, maybe he can't leave it," said Damon.

"The whole town is getting bombarded."

"I put out an APB and contacted all the hospitals and doctors. We'll find him."

"I'm gonna check the security cameras at the docks. Maybe they swiped another boat," said Dominic. Half an hour later, Emma and Damon found Dominic, Arla, and James by the Barn.

"Don't move. Vargas, get the guns," said Arla. "You're going to take him inside the barn, make him better, and then bring him back out to me.

"No."

"You will. And by the way, if you don't come back this time, I'll blow Damon's brains outs."

"No," said Dominic. "You won't. Remember when you were Mason? Gave me that gun with no bullets in it? I didn't forget that." Arla's gun was empty. Dominic threw the weapon out of her hands.

"You used me to bring James to her," said Arla as Damon drew his gun on her.

"Yahtzee."

"I thought you wanted the Troubles to stop."

"I do. I want Emma to stick around too. It seems your James is the only one who knows how to make both those things happen."

"James, can you hear me? It's your mother," Emma said. "He's not okay. He's fading.

"Bring him into the Barn. It can save his life. "

"Emma, if you go in there, you might never come out."

"Howard said this barn only comes when I'm ready. Maybe it only disappears when I'm ready to leave. And I'm not ready to leave either of you." James suddenly woke up and went into the Barn. "Damon, I have to go after him. He's my only chance."

"Then I'm going with you."

"Me too."

"You're not leaving me out here again."

"You're not going in, Arla!"

"How are you gonna stop me once you're inside the Barn?"

"I guess someone's gonna have to stay out here and watch the skin quilt," said Dominic. "Damon, you make sure she comes back out."

"I will."

"Ready?" Emma asked.

"What's the big deal? It's just a barn." They walked inside and saw a massive white hallway. "Love what Howard's done with the place."

"What is this thing?"

"Emma. I can feel. My skin, the air, everything."

"Must be this place."

"Whatever's going on with the Troubles, this barn is at the center of it. We need to take it out. It solves all our problems. You can't get trapped in here if we blow it up." Suddenly, Emma and Damon were transported outside The Barn.

"What just happened?" An old car then approached. Damon and Emma saw Sarah exit the car with a younger Vince and Dave. "That's me."

"No. That's Sarah."

"I don't think they can see us."

"Are we in the 1950s?"

"The Barn transported us back in time? It's one of Sarah's memories." They saw Vince and Dave set off a bomb by the Barn, but nothing happened to the structure.

"I guess I have to go," said Sarah.

"Who will take care of your son?" Vince asked.

"I took him somewhere safe."

"Was he with his father?"

"James's father? He's not even born yet."

"Not even born?" Emma asked. Damon looked shocked. "We were talking about blowing up the Barn earlier. Maybe Howard overheard us." Emma and Damon then appeared inside the Barn.

"You're right, Emma. That was Sarah's memory," said Howard.

"You're not taking Emma away."

"It can't be stopped. That's what I was trying to show you."

"How do we even know that memory's real?"

"How about I show you a memory of Sarah's that you know is real, Damon?" They then appeared back in 1955.

"I don't like that."

"Okay so he just said that it would be one of Sarah's memories that you remember which means it's got to be when that Trouble sent you to 1955. Hey, don't you have a jacket like that."

"Yeah, I don't think James is that way. Emma! Wait!" Emma then saw Sarah kissing Damon.

"Oh my God," Emma gasped.

"I didn't know if I was ever coming back." Emma then saw James come out of the Barn.

"He's here. James! James!" They ran after him and then Damon appeared in the hallway of the Barn.

"Emma! Emma! What the hell is going on? Emma!"

"Who are you?" James asked, appearing behind Damon.

"Damon. Damon Salvatore. I'm your father."

"I've always wondered who you were."

"This would be weird even if we weren't meeting in a giant, supernatural steam room. We've been looking for you. Emma and I."

"What so she can kill me?"

"What?"

"Again? Kill her son to save herself."

"What are you talking about?"

"When I came to Haven to find my mother, Sarah, I found Lucy instead. She was frantic. She'd just found out that she was about to disappear."

"And I said there's got to be another way."

"What did you find out? What's the other way?"

"Me. My death was the only thing that could keep her out of the Barn."

"But Em…Lucy never would've hurt you, not even to save herself."

"The day I was supposed to leave Haven somebody snuck up and bashed me in the back of the head. Arla found out it was my mom."

"Arla lied. Lucy still went in that barn. There has to be another explanation."

"Well maybe you don't know your Emma as well as you think."

"Damon?" Emma called.

"Emma. Good. You have to talk to…Damnit. He's gone."

"He who?"

"I saw James."

"He's your son, isn't he?"

"Our son," Damon smiled.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Not exactly sure how that conversation would have gone. I guess it was a way to be with you. I know that that sounds crazy."

"No. It doesn't. Part of me's glad. At least this way, if I do disappear, I have some proof that I existed."

"You are not disappearing," Damon said, cupping her face. "Not this time."

"What did James tell you?"

"James thinks he's the answer. He thinks that somehow killing him ends the Troubles. We need to find James. Figure out what really happened to him."

"Howard! I know you can hear me! Come out now before I kick your ass! I'm not making my choice until you show me my son!"

"Okay. He's right there." James walked out of a hallway.

"James," Emma smiled. "It's so good to finally meet you." James backed away.

"Where's Arla? I want to see her."

"James, there are things about Arla that you do not know."

"I want to talk to Arla!"

"You want to see Arla? Alright. I'll go bring her to you." Emma walked out of the Barn to get Arla. "James wants to see you."

"I thought he might." They both went inside.

"James! What? What's wrong?" James saw the true Arla.

"Troubles don't work in here," said Damon.

"What happened to you?" James asked.

"After you died, my Trouble started. My skin fell out, but I can live inside the skin of other people."

"Tell him, Arla," said Emma. "Tell him how many women you murdered to get that skin."

"You murdered people!" James yelled. "That's how you're able to look so young?"

"Babe, I did it for you."

"Don't touch me!"

"I waited for you. I killed for you. I killed for us!"

"What! Oh my God! Aah!" Arla looked at Emma and pulled a knife.

"You ruined everything!" She went for Emma, but James took the wound instead. Damon went to James and Arla went for Emma, but Emma impaled her on her own knife.

"Get her out of the barn," said Emma to Damon. "James. James, it's gonna be alright. The Barn saved you last time. It'll fix you again."

"Arla lied."

"Yeah."

"You didn't kill me."

"No. Why would I want to kill you?"

"To end the Troubles but then I guess that didn't happen, did it?"

"Why would killing you end the Troubles?"

"Because you loved me. Lucy said that killing someone she loved was the only way to end the Troubles. Not just for 27 years, but forever. Haven would be a true Haven again."

"What?"

"But you're not Lucy anymore. We just met so you don't love me."

"Hey."

"Who do you love, Emma?" Emma cried.

"Ready to go?" Howard asked.

"Why?"

"That meteor storm is about to pound Haven from the face–"

"I'm not talking about the meteor storm. I'm talking about me. My choices." Emma turned around and saw James was gone. "Where's my son?"

"Healing. That's what you wanted."

"No. I want him to have a life. The life that I can't have."

"That's impossible. He belongs here now, like his mother."

"Why? Why do I belong here?"

"Think of the barn as an amplifier for you. When you're in it, your energy keeps the Troubles at bay. But after twenty-seven years, that energy starts to run out. Troubles start again. So you have to come out and recharge."

"Recharge? Recharge with what?"

"Love. It energizes you so you can go back into The Barn and stop the Troubles again."

"Am I even human?"

"Emma…that's your problem. You are very, very human."

"So, I'm Troubled then."

"No."

"Then why do I need to kill the man I love to end all this? Am I being punished?"

"It does seem that way. Yes."

"There's got to be another way."

"I'm sorry. There are only two ways this ends. One stops the Trouble for twenty-seven years, the other…forever. We really should go now."

"Wait. I need to say goodbye." Emma walked out of the barn.

"What did James say?" Damon asked.

"He was wrong. Killing him…it won't work. Dominic, you have always been so good to me."

"It was easy. It actually wasn't, but…you know me. I like the challenge."

"I'm sorry I won't remember you when I come back," she cried and kissed his cheek. Emma then walked to Damon and kissed him.

"No. This is not goodbye," Damon murmured. "Take me with you."

"No. Damon, Damon, I won't be alone, all right? I'll be with our son."

"I am gonna die before I let you go again," Damon replied, cupping her cheeks.

"I know," Emma cried. She pulled out her gun. "Dominic. Make sure Damon does not follow me in." She gave him her gun. "Promise me."

"Emma, don't do this to me!" Damon yelled.

"I promise, Emma," Dominic sighed.

"Twenty-seven years, Damon. Then we'll get to do it all over again," Emma cried as Dominic held Damon back. "Remember that I'll always love you. Goodbye."

"We're not letting her go in there."

"Yes, we are," Dominic replied. "Listen, she's trying to help all these people. She's trying to help this town and it is her choice. It's not yours. And it sure as hell isn't mine. I hate it. But it's still her choice."

"You're in love with her too."

"Yeah."

"Then how can you let her go? Look at her. Look at her!" Emma walked into the barn and Damon kicked the door.

"I thought it was made fairly clear. That won't work on the Barn," said Howard.

"That was made clear. What about hurting you?" He pointed his gun at Howard. Suddenly, Sage appeared behind Damon and shot him. In response, Damon shot Howard several times and Dominic shot Sage twice. The Barn then began to crumble.

"The meteors. They're not stopping. They're supposed to stop," said Dominic.

"Get her," Damon growled. "Go. Save her."

"Emma!" Dominic jumped into the disappearing barn. Damon rose from the ground once the Barn disappeared. Meteors were raining down on Haven.

"Emma," Damon cried. "EMMA!"


End file.
